


one of these days

by sunsies



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Howl's Moving Castle Fusion, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21777568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsies/pseuds/sunsies
Summary: It doesn't happen with a grand reveal, nor with fancy sparkling effect. It's all a bit anticlimactic, really, this whole magic shebang. Donghyuck expected more than going out for a stroll and looking up to admire the clouds, just to see a blond man casually walking in the sky, humming like he did it every day.You appreciate nature once, andthishappens.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 75
Collections: ’00 FIC FEST: ROUND ONE





	one of these days

**Author's Note:**

> prompt #0021
> 
> A personal take on Howl's Moving Castle with a modern twist. The reason why I take up this prompt in the first place is because I _adore_ Studio Ghibli and mainly because I can't shake the image of Jaemin as Howl, it fits him to a T. I just have to write it, there's no debate about it. 
> 
> also, many many thanks to my beta blue & admin tea for being absolutely lovely and helpful. And to everyone reading, I hope you enjoy it. :)

**6 July 2017**

  
  


Donghyuck wasn’t particularly patient by any means, but he believed he had enough tolerance to handle difficult people since it was in his line of work. In some cases though, he just wasn’t having it.

“The receipt clearly says no returns after 30 days, what part of that do you not understand?” Donghyuck gritted out at the arrogant customer that kept trying to return her blouse because it’s too ‘tight around the waist.’ _That’s what fitting rooms are for, pretentious idiot_, Donghyuck thought angrily.

“How rude!” The customer gasped, dramatically placing a manicured hand on her chest. “Where is your manager? I demand to speak to him this instant!”

“The manager has no time for someone like you, and frankly, neither do I, so run along now while I’m still being nice,” Donghyuck pasted a sickly sweet smile on his face, taunting the customer. It seemed to work, judging by the woman’s mock distraught.

“Your attitude appalls me! Let it be known that I will never step a foot in here again, and I will also let my friends know of your...your..._ disgusting _ imbecile behaviour,” she scoffed, walking off with her head held high. Donghyuck rolled his eyes, noticing the blouse she left behind. He pulled it over and threw it into the used clothes container under the counter. Her loss, then.

Yuta emerged just then, looking extremely disappointed just like he always did when he saw Donghyuck. 

He didn’t even bother to say anything, simply crossing his hands over his waist while he stared down at Donghyuck. Yuta’s glare packed quite the punch - even without words.

“It’s too early for this,” Donghyuck whined, not expecting to get in trouble in less than 15 minutes after he punched his card. It’s a record he’s not particularly proud of.

“Then it’s not too early to drive away customers? We’re losing business day by day ever since you started working here, Donghyuck. Someday I will pull you out of the job and not even Mark will be able to save you!” Yuta’s words are spicy, and even Donghyuck felt the burn. He watched as Yuta stomped off to the other direction, not wanting to waste anymore time with him.

“Bullshit,” he muttered to himself. He won’t say he’s wrong, because he’s not. Natural selection will come for those rich entitled people, he’s just doing them a favour and try to humble them a little. 

He saw the lady from earlier passing in front of the window display, glaring daggers at him. He looked away, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing him downtrodden. 

Sighing, he resumed his work. Trying doesn’t mean he’s succeeding by any means.

  
  


Donghyuck was jealous of his older brother, that much is a known fact. Mark is lovable, kind and sweet. He’s everything Donghyuck isn’t, and even Yuta looks at him like he hung the stars in the sky.

But beyond that, he loved him to pieces. Mark always took good care of him in his own non-affectionate yet warm way, and Donghyuck likes clinging to his brother just to annoy him. Mark usually pushed him away, but he never got angry. In fact Donghyuck didn’t think he had ever seen Mark lose his temper before. Compared to Donghyuck, who was volatile and irritable, Mark was a steady stream. Maybe that’s why they worked so well despite their differences.

He watched his brother easily conversing with his customers, his apron neat and straight against his lean body. He looked the very picture of a poster boy.

They were both trying to make ends meet, but why was Donghyuck having a harder time than his brother? Mark made it seem so easy, pulling in loyal customers one after the other with his easy going personality and boisterous laugh. Everyone adored him, and his customers were usually not that difficult except for the occasional snobs. You can’t run from those kinds of people, it’s just how life is.

It’s not that Donghyuck wasn’t a social butterfly, he’s probably more of a talker than Mark is, but that was before. He had been through some unpleasant moments in his life that had ended up breaking and snapping him in more ways than one. Let’s just say that he tried to be good - but good wasn’t fit for survival.

Donghyuck tapped the table with his fingers as he waited. He should probably find a more befitting job where he wouldn’t have to deal with spoiled rich brats, but until then he supposed he had to make do.

A cup of iced Americano and two beef pies were placed in front of him, effectively startling him from his thoughts. He looked up to find Mark smiling at him, sleeves pulled up to his elbow. 

“You look like you could use it,” Mark supplied, taking a seat in front of Donghyuck. This was usually the part where he asked him if he was okay and all those formalities even when he knew the answers already. And Donghyuck would lie because he didn’t want to be a baby and burden Mark even more than he already does. But this time, Mark only sighed lowly. His eyes were pained as he watched Donghyuck who probably was looking worse for wear - more so than usual. Yuta was in a grumpy mood today and made him work an extra shift with only a five minute break in between, forcing him to skip lunch. He usually accompanied Mark during lunch time and did his homework after his shift ended, but it looked like he would have to pull an all-nighter tonight.

He’s silent for a beat or two, mouth opening and closing as he tried to form a proper sentence. Donghyuck waited patiently, wondering what had gotten into Mark at that moment.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw you happy, you know,” Mark said finally in a tender voice, his words hitting Donghyuck like bricks. He blinked, at a loss as to what to say. It’s not everyday that Donghyuck got rendered speechless, unable to form an appropriate reply.

“I—that—uh-“ he stammered, struggling to find a way to convince Mark that he’s completely okay, Mark didn’t have to worry about him. Happiness is relative after all, it will come sooner or later and he won’t be miserable forever. Probably.

“I wish I could do more for you,” Mark’s perfect image fell apart for a moment, his hair tousled and name tag crooked. He suddenly looked weary, tiredness slipping through in a crack of fragility. Donghyuck actually knew what to say in this case.

“You’ve done enough,” Donghyuck reached for his hand, smiling softly at him. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

Mark didn’t pull away like he usually did, instead tightening his grip on Donghyuck’s hand. He released it after a few moments, straightening himself up before standing.

“My shift ends in ten minutes,” he said, as if Donghyuck hadn’t memorised his schedule. He rolled his eyes and waved Mark away playfully.

“I’ll be here,” he promised, watching Mark walk away before pulling his cup closer, taking a sip. Extra sugar, just the way that he likes it.

He watched the people walking to and fro in front of the café, from the laughing kids chasing each other to the stressed out adults yelling down the phone. He chuckled, shaking his head. Life’s definitely much easier when you’re younger and there’s no responsibility weighing down your shoulders. 

His mind flitted over dry thoughts before finally settling on one - Donghyuck’s happy days were over.  
  


Lying down under the stars sounded like the very definition of a cliche but Donghyuck enjoyed it enough to sacrifice his blood to the mosquitoes for as long as he could to stare at the twinkles mapping the black skies and be embraced by the night breeze. It was a breather, a pause within his chaotic day.

He sat in silence, head pillowed by his own arms. He could hear Mark making a ruckus inside the house, busy spring-cleaning. It was usually Donghyuck’s job since Mark had no idea how to do chores but he insisted on doing it this time so that Donghyuck could rest a bit. He was having a difficult time, judging by the sound of metal clanging and objects falling to the floor, the occasional yelp of pain breaking the peace of the night. Donghyuck sighed, letting him be. It was time that he learned the hardship of doing chores. 

Beyond that, his thoughts were the loudest thing, yelling and echoing in his head. He forces them to quiet down - staring at the constellations until his mind is completely silent. He could only hear the sound of crickets from afar, signalling the night drawing in.

He recalled his classmates laughing together earlier today, making plans to hang out after school. Donghyuck could only watch the interactions in silence, knowing that he couldn’t afford that luxury. They didn’t even bother to invite Donghyuck along, knowing that it was futile. 

Donghyuck was pissed. Why must he sacrifice his youth for a paycheck? Why did his parents never leave anything behind for their children before they packed up and left? It was messed up, the fact that he was forced to grow up earlier than his peers and that he was always left out deliberately. The unfairness only aggravates his short temper, causing it to erupt even when faced with a minor issue. 

He sighed, not liking the person he’s becoming. Just as he was lost in thought, a shooting star suddenly raced across the sky. Donghyuck immediately bolted up at the unexpected sight, eyes glazing as he stared at the rare phenomenon. He closed his eyes, making a quick wish in his heart. After the shooting star was gone, Donghyuck sat there in silence for a while, taking in the quiet of the night and how calm he felt before lifting himself up and going back inside the house.

_ I wish for my life to turn around. _

  
  


It doesn't happen with a grand reveal, nor with fancy sparkling effect. It's all a bit anticlimactic, really, this whole magic shebang. Donghyuck expected more than going out for a stroll across the street from a time out from work and looking up to admire the clouds just to see a blond man casually walking in the sky, humming like he did it every day.

Donghyuck halted, eyes wide as all semblance of speech escaped him. He looked around wildly to see if he was the only one seeing this, but everyone else was either busy on their phones or talking to each other. 

You appreciate nature once, and _this_ happens.

He blinked again, and the man disappeared. He almost thought he was delirious, probably from lack of sleep or being yelled at too much, until he saw a familiar backside up ahead. The pale, blond hair tied in a half ponytail glistened under the sunlight, his hands in his pocket as he walked leisurely. There was no difference to before, except this time he was walking on land. 

Donghyuck quickened his steps to reach the tall stranger before hesitating. Given his brash nature, he should have no problem going up to strangers and berating them, but what was he supposed to say to this one? "Hey, I think I just saw you walking in the sky, can you confirm that my eyesight is working?" That is too ridiculous, even for him.

He turned around, going back to the store. He had seen enough today. He was just going to wipe it out of his memory, pretending that it was just some heat-induced dream.

Which failed, unsurprisingly enough. It took him twenty minutes in his shift before he breaks, swapping shorts for tank tops and pulling out an unnecessary amount of change for a customer who almost took it if Yuta hadn’t been watching with hard eyes from a distance away. That was when his manager decided he had had enough and walked over to the cafe to have a conversation with Taeyong, Mark’s boss to let him go early today so he could fetch his brother since Donghyuck was apparently ‘unwell’. He even pulled Mark aside for a conversation mainly consisting of Yuta gesturing wildly and looking angry while Mark attempted to placate him. Donghyuck didn’t even bother to pay attention to them, willing Mark to pull him home.

"You okay, Hyuck? You look out of it," Mark placed an arm consolingly over his shoulder, balancing a brown bag on his other arm. They went for a quick trip to the grocery store per Mark’s request, probably his attempt to pull Donghyuck from whatever funk he was in before he started questioning him. Donghyuck shrugged, not willing to elaborate. Mark frowned but got the hint, dropping the subject as they walked home in a comfortable silence.

Honestly, Donghyuck was not fine. He couldn’t get the image of the blonde man out of his head, looking majestic and peaceful as he strolled across the sky. It's hard to wipe the mental image of a floating guy with flowing blonde hair who dresses like he's stuck in the past. He shivered, thinking that it’s entirely possibly considering the circumstances.

"Yuta is telling you to get a grip," Mark said matter-of-factly. "You used to pick fights with customers and drive them away and now you're staring off into space all the time. He's thinking of letting you go, again, but I said no, of course."

Donghyuck stayed quiet. Mark always tried his best to get Donghyuck to the right track and stopping his boss' every attempt of kicking him out. Donghyuck was grateful, truly, but he couldn't help the way that he is. They arrived home, Mark letting Donghyuck hold the bag before stepping forward to unlock the door.

"If you have any problems come talk to me, okay? You know I'm always here for you," Mark patted his shoulder before heading towards his room. Donghyuck sighed, closing the door behind him. 

He confided everything in Mark, but this was too ridiculous to even put in words. He doubted his brother, the least judgemental person Donghyuck had ever known, would even believe him. It’s just something that he had to keep to himself. It’s no big deal, his fast-paced life would cut off floating blonde dude in no time.

“Yuta needs to mind his own business, we can’t all be perfect,” he said instead, successfully dodging the initial question. Mark chuckled, the sound bouncing off the thin wall before growing silent, dropping the topic altogether.

Donghyuck placed the grocery bag on the table, unloading the little needs they have. It’s easy to save money on things when you’re buying for two. The hard part is making the money in the first place.

He closed the door to his room, dropping to his bed. With the image of the strange man clear beneath his closed eyelids, he drifted off to a much-needed sleep.

  
  


Donghyuck was beginning to think that the wish he made on a whim on the shooting star is coming true, after all. His life really does feel like it was turned around. 

He was just taking a shortcut back home from school, which was fair enough since he didn’t feel like walking the long mile, but then suddenly someone snatched his hand and he was dragged along in a sprint. Yelping, he almost thought he was being kidnapped if not for the men in black right on their heels. Heart pounding in his chest, he halted for a moment in shock and will himself to be dragged away before his instinct kicked in and he realised he has to _ move _. He had so many questions, but he was focused on survival so he just ran ahead, not even realising who he’s linking hands with.

They raced past the buildings, squeezing through dark alleyways before making an escape into an unfamiliar residential building, stopping only when they reached the empty rooftop. Donghyuck’s hands landed on his knees, breath coming out harsh and ragged. He pulled himself straight as he wiped sweat from his brow, preparing to yell at the stranger who thoughtlessly dragged him into this mess, only to snap his mouth back shut when he realised that it was _ the _ boy, the one who had been plaguing his mind for the past week, in the flesh. 

The stranger didn’t look too affected by this turn of events, peering down with a smile as he noticed that they had lost their chasers. Some time passed in silence, filled only by Donghyuck’s breath which was coming out in shallow huffs. He really needed to exercise more.

The stranger finally turned to acknowledge him, mouth stretched in a wide smile. Donghyuck froze when their eyes met, caught off-guard by the sudden acknowledgement. He briefly thought that the boy had a very pretty smile, not that Donghyuck would openly admit to that thought.

“Hello, there,” his deep voice sent shivers down Donghyuck’s spine, a direct contrast to his pretty face. “Sorry for dragging you along. It’s an emergency situation,” Donghyuck watched, distracted as he spoke with great gestures, a sort of dramatic flair to his demeanour.

Donghyuck stepped next to the boy, resting his hands loosely on the railing as he peered down to the rare sight of an almost deserted street. It’s not rush hour yet.

“I can see that. Doesn’t mean I appreciate it though,” He said, a glint in his eyes as he met the blond’s gaze. He received a raised eyebrow in return, the smile never faltering.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” Amusement coloured his voice as he casually leaned against the fragile barrier separating the roof and the ground below. His eyes never left Donghyuck throughout the whole process, the attention feeling unnerving for some reason. His intention of asking what the hell just happened was forgotten just like that.

Donghyuck cleared his throat, looking elsewhere. He wanted to warn the stranger that he might plunge to his death, but since he’s a magical floating boy, that probably wouldn’t happen.

“I’m Na Jaemin,” the blonde said after a prolonged silence, broken only by the occasional noises of tyres crunching against the gravel and birds twittering obnoxiously overhead. Donghyuck perked up, peeved to find that Jaemin was still staring. He didn’t comment on it, only nodding slightly. 

“Lee Donghyuck,” he offered shortly, thinking that it was the appropriate thing to do. Jaemin’s eyes brightened at the newfound information, repeating Donghyuck’s name in wonder.

“Nice to meet you, Lee Donghyuck. The feisty boy,” Jaemin grinned teasingly, finally pulling himself away from the railing. He tucked his long fringe behind his ear before casually putting his hands in his pocket the same way Donghyuck had seen him do before. He turned his gaze away.

“Yes,” he murmured, loud enough for both of them to hear. “Nice to meet you, indeed.”  
  


Donghyuck has dreams bigger than this small town could contain. He laid down on the thin grass, watching the bright skies with a frown for more reasons than one. Is this how he will live the rest of his life - in a mundane and bland rut? It didn’t bode well for him. He wanted an adventure, to see the world, and also to let his brother rest. He wanted so many things that didn’t seem very probable in the near future. He chuckled bitterly. He wasn’t in any position to demand anything and could only afford wishful thinking. Didn’t mean he couldn’t brood though.

“A penny for your thoughts?” A sudden voice intruded and popped his personal bubble. He blinked, turning his head slightly upward to meet Jaemin’s upside down face. He’s smiling again, never stopped actually. At least one of them is happy with life, Donghyuck thought in his bitter resentment.

The first time Jaemin popped up after that incident was on the road Donghyuck took home from school, suddenly appearing beside him and greeting him like they were old friends. He almost smacked Jaemin’s pretty face right then and there, but he resorted to screaming at his face instead, which was a better alternative. Jaemin seemingly wasn’t phased by it, considering the fact that he returned every time. Donghyuck began to get used to it after a while, not even questioning how Jaemin always seem to know where he was. 

“I’m starting to think that you’re stalking me,” Donghyuck replied wearily. His eyelashes fluttered, seeing a glimpse of Jaemin walking over beside him to mimic his position, lying down on the grass with both hands under his head and legs leisurely crossed over each other.

“My feet just lead me to you,” he replied once he was settled, throwing a teasing wink just for the sake of it. Donghyuck let out a slight laugh in his bewilderment, feeling slightly amazed yet disgusted by how easily Jaemin tossed out one-liners like that. It physically pained Donghyuck to even be on the receiving end.

“I’m going to issue a restraining order if you don’t stop,” he warned without any actual heat in his words. The sun was warm against his face and the slight breeze every now and then pulled his eyes close. 

“Don’t blame me, it’s destiny,” Jaemin murmured, his voice faraway as Donghyuck got pulled away into a strange dream of golden locks under the sun and shooting stars.

He woke up sometime later, the sky considerably darker, an orange hue peeking from the surface. He pulled himself up blearily, taking a few moments to fully wake up before noticing that Jaemin was gone. He rolled his eyes. Of course he would ditch Donghyuck and let him sleep all alone in the middle of the field.

A sudden noise startled him from his stupor, and, lo and behold, Jaemin stood there in all his glory with flowing loose hair and the glow of sunset behind him, making him look like an angel with a halo. Donghyuck froze, reminding himself not to gape.

“Hey there, sleeping beauty,” he greeted softly, his voice so tender that Donghyuck’s heart stopped for a moment.

“Sorry I left you for a bit, had to tend to some business. Glad you’re awake though, at least I don’t have to carry you.” The mischievous tone returned, shifting the strange mood. Donghyuck looked away, coughing lightly. _ That was dangerous, _ he thought to himself. 

“Come on then, it’s almost night time. I might leave you for real this time,” Despite his contradicting words, Jaemin offered his hand to Donghyuck, bowing lightly and looking the very image of a gentleman. Donghyuck forced himself not to blush. He’s not that weak.

He accepted the hand, surprised to feel himself being pulled up so easily. Jaemin grinned down at him once Donghyuck stood in his full height. He gave a slight smile in return, sidestepping Jaemin to walk the familiar path back home. The blond caught up easily, striding lightly as usual, probably because he’s used to walking on clouds.

“I’ll walk you home,” he stated, the chain of his necklace making light chinking sounds as it hit his neck every now and then while he walked. Donghyuck shrugged, knowing full well he couldn’t send Jaemin away. In the short amount of time they’ve known each other, he learned that Jaemin is stubborn, more than Donghyuck is, and that’s stating something.

“How sweet of you, I couldn’t possibly take care of myself. Of course I need a dashing prince to accompany me back home,” he deadpanned, hastening his steps when he realised it was getting dark. Mark was going to be worried and would nag his ears off if he found out that Donghyuck was hanging out with a strange boy well into the night.

“You think I’m a dashing prince? Well, you’re not wrong,” his neatly lined teeth glistened under the moonlight, hands grandly gesturing to his flowing white blouse and fitted black pants. He always dressed like he was ready to walk the runway the very next second. 

Donghyuck ignored him, walking faster to get away from the narcissistic creature that kept trying to trail after him like a lost puppy. That quickly turned into a chase, both laughing loudly in the dark of the night. Donghyuck threw his head back, catching speed but Jaemin was always right there behind him when he looked back, long hair framing his face with a wide smile on his face.

“You can keep running but I will always catch you!” 

Donghyuck didn’t think he was kidding.

“You’ve been missing a lot these days,” Mark sipped on his coffee, eyes boring into Donghyuck’s nonchalant face. The brunet shrugged, busying himself with stuffing himself with pastries. He was famished, and not much could pull him away from food at that moment.

“Found someone special?” Donghyuck promptly choked, throwing both of them into a panic. The people in the cafe threw them curious looks as Mark pounded on Donghyuck’s back, trying to make him spit out the food stuck in his throat. He was eventually saved from death by choking, the most stupid way to go in his opinion. Mark rubbed his back after he stopped coughing, relief flooding over him in waves after ensuring Donghyuck was okay.

“What’s with you?” Mark sat back in his chair, his eyes wide with worry. Donghyuck took a sip of his drink, steadfastly ignoring the inquisitive gazes of the other customers. The reflection in the window in front of him showed that his face was beet red, hair wildly poking in all sides. All in all, he looked like a fresh mess that narrowly managed to escape death.

“What’s with _ you_?” He fired back once he gathered enough stamina to calm himself down. Suddenly he lost his appetite, his half-eaten plate being pushed away. He stared at Mark bemusedly, wondering how he had managed to get to the conclusion that Donghyuck, his hard headed and busy brother could find himself the time to be in a romantic relationship. That sounded preposterous no matter what angle he looked at it from.

Mark had the decency to look sheepish, tapping his feet nervously as he busied himself with his drink. Donghyuck watched on in silence, giving Mark time to explain himself. 

“You’re an adult now, it’s normal to think about these kind of things. It’s about time you find someone,” Mark said, cheeks slightly tinted pink as he cleared his throat. Donghyuck frowned, not even wanting to know what Mark meant by ‘these things’.

“Whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it,” Donghyuck denied vehemently, rubbing his sore throat. Mark shrugged apologetically, rising out of his seat after he finished off his lunch. Donghyuck followed after, still slightly traumatised as he fell into step beside his brother.

“Fine, whatever you’re hiding is none of my business anyway. Just don’t get into trouble,” Mark patted him on the shoulder, stepping behind the counter while tying his apron. Donghyuck blinked, suddenly feeling guilty. He always told Mark as much as he could, there was never a secret between them. It felt strange to keep Mark in the dark, but, for some reason, he’s not willing to share. It was as if Jaemin was his little secret, and he didn’t want to tell anyone about him, not even his brother. He wasn’t sure why.

“I’ll go first,” he said, awkwardly pointing at the entrance. Mark smiled fondly at him, as if knowing what was running through his mind. 

“I’m not mad at you, it’s okay to keep some things for yourself. Healthy, even. If you don’t want to tell me then it’s fine,” Mark said calmly, understanding and sweet as always. 

Donghyuck frowned, the guilt not wearing off. It took Mark gesturing for him to go before he snapped out of it and left, feeling slightly disoriented and drained. He returned to the boutique next door, to find Yuta waiting for him impatiently. Donghyuck was almost 15 minutes late. He sighed, conceding to his fate.

  
  


Donghyuck had never actually brought up the whole walking on clouds thing with Jaemin, the matter feeling too ridiculous to be casually mentioned in a conversation. Until this very moment.

They were being chased _ again _. Seriously, where did all these men in suits come from? It was getting ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as seeing someone walking in the sky.

“This way!” Jaemin was pulling him by the hand again, fingers slotted together this time. It was absurd, Donghyuck suddenly wanted to stop and fight all the men, but he knew his slim and exercise-deprived figure wouldn’t stand a chance against them so he kept running with Jaemin’s guidance keeping him on track.

They went across a dark alley and up the stairs to an empty building, the entire situation so familiar that it left Donghyuck reeling. They hid behind the brick walls, watching as the men ran past them, their muscular builds imposing and overwhelming. 

“Why does this always happen?” Donghyuck asked disgruntledly, after his pulse had finally regulated. His mind began to conjure all sorts of scenarios that could have led to this happening. Was Jaemin a wanted criminal? Did he borrow money from a shady syndicate and neglect to pay them back fully? Or did he just enjoy messing about with dangerous-looking people?

“Whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it,” Jaemin grinned, knowing Donghyuck’s vivid imagination and seeming not at all bothered. “I just always run into trouble. It’s my specialty, if you will.”

“Not really something to boast about,” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, leaning on the wall. He watched Jaemin walk towards the railings in front of them, looking down at the street. He pursed his lips in silence for some time, deep in concentration. After a full minute passed with Jaemin being quiet and looking uncharacteristically solemn, Donghyuck began to wonder what was on his mind.

“A penny for your thoughts?” He asked cheekily, mirroring the last time that they had been in this scenario, only receiving a slight laugh in return. Donghyuck frowned at the half-hearted response. Something was wrong.

He waited patiently, deciding not to push it. Jaemin never acted like this, so he wanted to know what had brought this on.

“I want to show you something,” Jaemin finally said, making up his mind. Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was going.

“Do you trust me?” He asked suddenly, wanting confirmation. Donghyuck was getting incredibly curious and very much scared but he had no choice but to nod. If Jaemin wanted to harm him he would have done so long ago, he reasoned to himself. There was still doubt nagging at the back of his mind, which he pointedly ignored.

Promptly, Jaemin began to climb on top of the railing, balancing precariously on the thin metal peaks. Donghyuck’s eyes widened, instinctively trying to pull him down but Jaemin dodged his touch, a wry smile on his face.

“You said you trusted me,” He laughed lightly, balancing easily on the railing that separates the roof from the street below. Donghyuck was freaking out - far more than Jaemin was, and he’s not the one who was only one step away from falling to death. 

_ He can walk in the sky, he’s not going to fall, _ his mind supplied helpfully. Donghyuck stopped, realising that that was indeed true.

Right on cue, Jaemin began to step on the empty space in front of him, one foot after the other. Donghyuck watched, still bewildered even though he had seen this before. Jaemin turned back to him, feet floating on empty space as if he was stepping on an invisible ground. He chuckled at the look on Donghyuck’s face. He reached his hand out, hope brimming in his eyes.

Donghyuck pursed his lips, worry and fear wrapping around his heart and suffocating him slightly. It must have shown on his face considering Jaemin’s slightly disappointed expression melted into a comforting one when Donghyuck hesitated. His smile was gentle, sincere, begging for Donghyuck to trust him.

_ We haven’t known each other long enough, _Donghyuck told himself. His mind was telling him that, but his heart…his heart was telling him to take Jaemin’s hand. He wouldn’t let Donghyuck fall. How could he tell? He had no idea, but he felt as though he could trust Jaemin, the boy he barely knew and had only known for a span of two weeks. It was too fast of a speed for him.

Another second passed and Donghyuck made up his mind, his hand reaching out and gripping Jaemin’s. The relieved expression on Jaemin’s face assured Donghyuck that he made the right choice.

Jaemin pulled him up, nodding in encouragement after Donghyuck safely stepped on top of the railing. He vaguely realised his legs were shaking, and so was his whole body. 

Donghyuck had no special power to float in the way that Jaemin did, so he had no idea what to do at this point. Jaemin’s grip on him tightened, his eyes telling Donghyuck everything that he needed to know. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly before hesitantly stepping forwards. His heart beat harder in his chest once his feet touched what felt like solid ground. His eyes opened in shock, but he wasn’t standing on anything. He gawked, turning to Jaemin who kept their hands tightly intertwined, his eyes never leaving Donghyuck’s face.

“W-what? How?” He asked, desperation and wonder mixing in his voice, a cacophony of joy tipping slightly over the edge. Jaemin shrugged, as if it was no big deal. 

“A lot of things in this world don't make sense,” he said simply. Donghyuck had to agree.

They began to walk one step at a time, higher and higher. Jaemin guided him gently with calloused hands wrapped tightly around his own. He never once let go, even after Donghyuck began to get used to it. The feeling was indescribable, looking down at the bare streets, the trees from above. It was beautiful, the realisation of how small everything was when he was up there. 

He looked up in front of him, the clouds so close he could touch them. He tried to, but Jaemin’s grip didn’t waver. Donghyuck scoffed, knowing Jaemin was taking advantage of the situation to flaunt his strength as usual. It didn’t deter him though, his excitement only became more apparent when he realised he could see an airplane flying overhead.

“It’s really amazing,” he turned to Jaemin after fully enjoying the aerial view. Donghyuck didn’t even realise that he had started to smile but he was, cheeks burning from smiling so widely.

Jaemin’s small smile returned, his eyes looking down at Donghyuck were bright as usual but at the same time they were different. Almost fond.

“It is, isn’t it?” Jaemin gestured to the entirety of the world beneath them. The people milling around, potted plants haphazardly arranged, the roofs of the building, the world that suddenly felt miles away. 

“I do it sometimes, when there’s not a lot of people. Couldn’t risk people seeing me,” he chuckled, guiding Donghyuck to a roof of another building. Donghyuck laughed nervously at that, unsure whether he should tell Jaemin.

“Oh, yeah, about that…” he began, not even realising his mouth was running before he could decide whether to tell or not. Jaemin turned to him, a single, raised brow throwing Donghyuck off.

“You’ve seen me do this before?” He asked simply - as if it was a fact. Donghyuck sputtered, he couldn’t even deny it because that was exactly what had happened. He recovered quickly, visibly relaxing at the fact that he wasn’t actually crazy and hadn’t hallucinated the whole thing. 

“What gave it away?” Donghyuck smiled teasingly, grateful that Jaemin wasn’t making a big deal out of it. Jaemin was dramatic, but he didn’t beat around the bush.

“You didn’t look as surprised as I thought you would,” Jaemin replied, their feet finally landing on actual concrete. He tipped his head down slightly to look Donghyuck in the eyes.

“You’re very easy to read, Donghyuck,” he said matter-of-factly. Donghyuck sighed in an exaggerated manner, frankly tired of Jaemin acting like he graduated with a degree in Advanced Understanding and Comprehension of Lee Donghyuck.

“That was fun,” he said instead, smiling as he stared at the invisible path he had just walked on, the scenery from above more breathtaking than he ever thought possible. The most exhilaration and thrill he had ever felt in his 19 years of life, actually. He turned only to notice Jaemin was looking at him with those eyes again.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked, cocking his head in puzzlement. Jaemin didn’t respond for a second, only smiling quietly.

“Hmm, like what?” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, knowing Jaemin was playing dumb. He slapped his chest lightly, stepping down to the safe ground. However fun that experience was, Donghyuck preferred being able to see what he was stepping on.

“You’re cute,” Jaemin replied finally, the sincerity in his tone throwing Donghyuck off. He laughed it off, the sound awkward even to his own ears. Jaemin smiled casually, cocking his head as if he was trying to decipher Donghyuck.

“I have to go, got work to do,” Donghyuck said softly, remembering that indeed, he had accumulated enough work for him to pull an all-nighter for two days. He sighed in despair at the thought of sleepless nights. And he had just had so much fun a few minutes ago.

Jaemin noticed his distraught expression but didn’t push it. He gently placed a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder, the touch warm and thrumming. Donghyuck met his eyes, gauging the emotions there. He had always had a hard time reading Jaemin, ever since the beginning. His default expression was an easy smile and his eyes were bright but there were little to no emotion behind it, soulless almost. 

“Don’t overwork yourself. Get some rest,” He said, concern seeping into his tone. Donghyuck would be lying if that didn’t give any effect to him. No one else other than his brother ever told him to take care of himself.

“Thanks, I will,” he choked out. He walked backwards, keeping some distance between them. “I’ll see you soon.” 

“You will,” Jaemin said, like a promise.

He never did. 

Donghyuck didn’t notice at first, just going by the routine as usual. It was only when a full week passed and Jaemin never popped out of nowhere like he always did that Donghyuck began to wonder what was going on. Time stretched on, a week turned into two and then three, and just as he appeared into Donghyuck’s life, Jaemin disappeared quietly and with an impact that doomed Donghyuck to a spiral of distress, the thoughts of him echoing louder than ever.

"Just what are you doing to me, Na Jaemin,” he whispered to himself, the dark circles under his eyes so evident that even Yuta commented on them. Mark who was still caught up in the crazy theory that Donghyuck had a ‘special someone’ probably thought they broke up, considering he only needed a once-over of Donghyuck’s appearance and his lips instantly downturned, patting his brother’s shoulder and promising to treat him ice cream as if he was grieving over a broken heart. 

He was _ fine_, he didn’t need to be coddled just because a magical boy who made him feel the most liberated that he had ever felt in his whole life decided to leave suddenly, out of nowhere, without even saying goodbye. It was fine, everything was _ fine. _

The least he could do was to repeat those phrases until they became true and hoped he would become so wrapped up in his work and school life that one day he would wake up and Na Jaemin would only be a distant memory.

  
  
  
  


**12 September 2019**  
  


Donghyuck wiped his brow, the humid air in the restaurant not helping his situation in the slightest. He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that his shift would end in 20 minutes. He passed by a friendly, fellow barista, greeting him with a tired smile. Jeno’s eyes curved to crescents, blonde hair falling into his eyes. His sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, toned body visible in the tight fabric swathes of the white shirt. Jeno was a vision, his only saving grace in this messed up world. It would be better if he wasn’t straight as a pole, but alas, nothing was ever fair in this world. He was still great as a friend, and Donghyuck would take as much as he was granted.

“Long day?” Jeno started conversationally as Donghyuck took a seat in front of him. Donghyuck scoffed, he had had water spilled on him a grand total of three times today and was yelled at for accidentally returning the wrong bill. A ‘long day’ was putting it lightly.

“Tell me about it,” he sighed, thanking Jeno as he placed a cup of cappuccino he had just brewed directly in front of Donghyuck, the aroma immediately raising his mood. He automatically smiled, eyes twinkling. 

“You’re an angel, Jeno,” he sighed happily as he took a sip. Jeno laughed, resuming his task. Donghyuck nursed his drink, watching blankly as Jeno wiped down the counter before getting started on cleaning the coffee machine. He worked in practised ease, having been doing this since he was in high school. Donghyuck wasn’t bad himself, but he wasn’t the same as Mark who had more experience. He had to struggle a bit to adjust, but the cafe was a better calling than retails.

They talked about random things to fill the silence, the conversation flowing easily. Jeno was easy to talk to. He didn’t speak much but he always prompted enough for Donghyuck to keep talking, and Donghyuck does fancy himself the opportunist when it comes to talking as much as he possibly could. Their shifts ended quickly, Renjun and Lucas coming in for the next round. They exchanged friendly greetings before splitting off on their own ways, Jeno’s place being in the opposite direction to Donghyuck’s.

He arrived at his apartment, cramped but enough for one. Mark came over to visit sometimes since he knew Donghyuck couldn’t be left alone for too long. He needed someone to talk to, or he would drown in his thoughts. It happened a few times before, and Mark had learned his lesson.

Lately Mark hadn’t visited much, since he recently got promoted and his work was consuming most of his time. Donghyuck didn’t mind much, since he could still talk to his coworkers, but he was worried about Mark. Sometimes, he only replies to Donghyuck’s texts close to midnight, clearly he was overworking himself. Knowing how much Mark could push himself, once even to the brink of passing out, Donghyuck was disheartened that he wasn’t able to keep an eye on his brother. He should pay a visit soon when his assignments started clearing up.

He passed out the moment his body hit the mattress.

  
  
  
It gets harder to see the stars the closer you are to the city, Donghyuck realised grimly. He used to think that life in the city was meant for him. He liked the buzz and the thrill it brought, but it only served to remind him of the peace of the night. Instead of twinkling stars, he sat in the dark staring at the cracked ceiling until he fell asleep. 

It was far from the thrilling life he longed for, even the students in his college were too stuck-up for his liking. None of them would willingly make a friend unless it was for their own advantage. Donghyuck wondered if he had moved in vain. His life remained stagnant, just the same as it was before he moved into the city; if not worse. 

College consumed half of him, and he had to make the other half do for work. He was on a scholarship, he couldn’t afford to slack off. But at the same time, he had to find a way to make a living. It worked for a few months, but it was starting to take a toll on him. He found himself falling asleep in class more often than acceptable, and he could barely stand up to take orders from customers. Mark used to tell him that he was the tough one among them, but the way he cried himself to sleep everyday made him no longer believe in that. He was just a shell of a person, trying to make do.

To make matters worse, those thoughts never once quietened down. Donghyuck tried his best to ignore the hurtful things his mind conjured on its own, but he could only do so much before he withdrew into himself again. He should be in control of his mind, his body, but he wasn’t. He could still see Mark’s distraught expression every time it happened, and it only made him despise himself more and more. He had to go away, he thought again and again but he never followed through. He had to carry on and fight for the only family he had left. 

With that thought in mind, he walked to class with less than four hours of sleep and an empty stomach, disoriented and almost bumping into several people on the way there. He didn’t even have the energy to feel angered when he got yelled at, promptly crashing down on his seat after he made it in time. Bracketing his head between his hands, he allowed himself a moment before straightening up. He ignored his stinging eyes and pulled out the necessities from his bag. The dull, low voice of his lecturer starting the class almost made him curse.

Sighing, Donghyuck pulled himself straight and forced himself to stay awake. He would get through this, he thought, like he always did.

  
The crack has always been there, straining under piles of weights. It only took a push for it to fall apart, and the last string was in the form of a call from the hospital telling him that Mark had collapsed in the middle of his work and was currently unconscious. Donghyuck left the class with his belongings, his yelling lecturer be damned. 

After he had arrived in record time, Mark was still sleeping, looking extremely pale and bony - more so than he already was. Donghyuck paced around the room, expression etched in permanent distress. Regret and worry pooled inside of him, sending his thoughts into whirlwinds. _ He hadn’t been there for Mark. Mark wasn’t feeling well but Donghyuck wasn’t there to take care of him. He knew Mark was having a tough time at work but he had no idea it was _ that _ bad. He was a horrible brother, a horrible person— _

“Donghyuck,” He stopped in his tracks, gaze falling onto Mark’s pale face before quickly rushing to his side. He grasped onto his brother’s hand, relief washing over him like being splashed in cold water after being stranded in a desert for so long.

“Mark,” he called desperately, almost not recognising his own voice. He quickly scanned the parts of Mark exposed to him for any signs of injury, but he was unharmed. “Are you okay?”

Mark nodded, blinking owlishly as he tried to sit up straight. Donghyuck quickly assisted him, pillowing his back to ensure that he was comfortable. Mark looked worse for wear, eye bags heavy and dark under his bloodshot eyes. Donghyuck sighed, pity and anger swirling inside of him.

“You dumbass,” he began, pulling a surprised chuckle from Mark. “I just dashed off in the middle of the class once I got the call. I’m gonna get in so much trouble,” He said, only recalling just now that he was in hot water and he should probably call his lecturer and explain his situation to her, but it could wait for later. 

“Don’t worry me like that. It was supposed to be your job,” half-joking, he took a seat at the side of the bed. Mark looked at him with the sort of resigned weariness that came with age and hard work. He was a proper adult now, looking less like a model student and more like a perfect citizen. He had always adapted easily to the ways of life and more often than not, it took a toll on his very being. It wasn’t the first time this happened, but it still shook Donghyuck to the core every time.

“We have issues,” Mark chuckled. It was a bad joke, but Donghyuck laughed along. Since he can throw off jokes like that, it was safe to say that Mark was fine. Donghyuck adjusted his position to be more comfortable, the smile wiped from his face. 

“What happened?” He asked. He had a general idea, but he wanted Mark himself to tell him the actual problem. Mark always pretended he was fine when he wasn’t, and Donghyuck didn’t want to keep seeking out Mark for his issues instead of the other way around. Mark didn’t want to worry him, but ended up doing just that and worse.

“It’s nothing major. I had some projects to finish and I was pulling all-nighters, and sometimes…I forgot to eat,” he rubbed his neck, sheepish. “Since you weren’t around, I’ve been relying on snack bars and instant food. Was too busy to stock up recently.”

Donghyuck exhaled, chest hurting at the thought of Mark alone at his place, eating instant noodles and snacks to fill his stomach. He wondered how long it had been since Mark had last eaten proper food.

“I’m moving in,” he decided firmly. Mark raised his head at that, eyes wide in astonishment. Sensing a denial on the tip of his tongue, Donghyuck quickly cut him off.

“No, I’m not accepting no as an answer. I’m gonna stay with you and feed you and take good care of you so you won’t pass out and make me worry my head off. I’m doing this for me as much as I’m doing this for you,” he continued, watching as Mark’s jaw snap shut and his lips pressed into a straight line. He decided to solidify his stance while Mark was considering. “You always take care of me, why won’t you let me do the same for you?” He reasoned in a soft tone, and that seemed to hit the target. Mark released a heavy sigh, eyes tired as they bored into Donghyuck’s own. Donghyuck smiled, knowing that he had already won.

“Fine.” 

  
  


While Mark was recovering, Donghyuck was running around like a headless chicken as he tried to tie up all his loose ends. He began by calling his lecturers regarding his absence before moving to phoning Mark’s employer about his current situation, casually hinting that Mark was overworked and the company should do better for their staff before promptly hanging up. The hospital bill was taken care off by insurance, which Mark has smartly registered for before since he himself knew how accident prone he could be.

They ended up selling their respective places in order to get enough money to buy a house in the city that could shelter two people and was close to public transport so they could commute to work or college, but the hard part was negotiating for a reasonable price. Donghyuck almost lost his voice yelling at the agents that tried pulling their legs for unreasonably priced houses. Mark finally pulled the phone away from him and decided to handle the process instead since he was recovering well and was already preparing to be released from the ward. Donghyuck shrugged, throat sore from all the arguments. Mark would do a better job convincing than him anyway.

They pulled through in the end, Donghyuck unloading his suitcase into his new room as he looked around the unfamiliar space. It was bare although it had been lived in before, thus decoration was in order since Donghyuck couldn’t stand a blank slate. The space wasn’t grand but it was decent, better than Donghyuck’s old place at least. 

“Here we are again,” he called out, knowing Mark could hear him across the walls. His brother gave a sound of acknowledgement, whooping a little. Donghyuck smiled slightly at the blatant excitement. They had grown up and were both busy with their own lives but at the end of the day, they still enjoyed each other’s presence the most.

“I’m going to cook dinner so you can eat properly,” He said, rather pointedly. Holding back a laugh from the sound of Mark’s exasperated groans and whines, he lifted himself up before moving to properly set up his room. He was excited to have someone else to go back home to like old times, and it took an accident like this for him to realise that they never should’ve separated in the first place. They needed space, but they also needed each other. It was fine, since this arrangement worked best for them. 

“I want stew!” Mark yelled, followed by a thump and another groan, this time a pained one. Donghyuck rolled his eyes, fixing the mattress and placing some pillows on his bed beside the window. The view was prettier, the small garden out the back was filled with sunflowers and daisies with a white picket fence around them. There weren’t many stars in the sky, but it wasn’t a major setback.

“You don’t get to be choosy,” he joked, pulling his door open to check up on Mark. He was pretty much hopeless in anything regarding organisation. He ended up setting up his room for him and cooked the stew just like he asked for. Mark had no business saying that Donghyuck didn’t care for him, since he wouldn’t do this for anyone else.

“I love you, you know that?” Mark smiled at him over dinner with cheeks full of food. Donghyuck made a show of dramatic exasperation, hand over his forehead and all that jazz.

“You only love me when I do things for you,” he sighed out. Mark didn’t react for a moment, busy stuffing his face with food. Donghyuck got an inkling that it had been a while since he ate a home-cooked meal.

“True,” he replied a beat later with a cheeky smile. He looked like his proper self now, colour coming back into his cheeks and eyes shining in happiness. Donghyuck smiled fondly, feeling a familiar warmth in his heart with his only family standing across him, looking healthy and happy. 

He wished he could feel like this all the time.

It was raining heavily and Donghyuck hadn’t brought an umbrella. He stared at the pouring rain, sighing at the thought of being forced to stay on campus longer than he needed to. He didn’t have work, since Mark made him quit as his salary was enough for the two of them. “Rest,” he told Donghyuck seriously. “You need to focus on your studies first.”

Mark was right of course. His grades were slipping since he was so tired from trying to balance five hours of classes and another four of shifts, before promptly falling asleep the moment he arrived home. At least now he could focus his energy on a few things at a time. That would probably make him feel less angry all the time.

Donghyuck walked aimlessly, finding himself in an abandoned spot that no one ever went to. He had no idea why his feet just led him there. Stopping in his tracks, something foreign caught his eye. He squinted, trying to remember if the shed a size bigger than his own house had always been there and coming out blank. Without realising, he drew nearer to the mysterious shed, his curiosity getting the better of him.

He stepped around the shed, sheltered by the ridiculously large roof. Judging by the size alone, it was simply out of place. He shouldn’t mess around and instead turn around to familiar territories, but he was nothing but stubborn even against his own logical mind. 

He stepped inside, eyes wide at the sight that greeted him. It was bigger than it looked from the outside, and instead of a shed, it seemed more like a proper home with furniture and the like. Closing the door warily, he stepped inside and only noticed there was a lit up fireplace. Still in disbelief, he explored the space. It looked lived in, not clean but not entirely filthy either. The comfortable looking bed at the corner of the shed—room? Donghyuck had no idea—seemed inviting, the patter of rain against the window bewitched him to lift himself up and curl on the bed, eyes heavy and dragging. He had been attending classes since 7 that morning, he deserved a nap.

Not a single thought came into his mind about how suspicious this whole ordeal was, he drifted to sleep accompanied by the nonstop rain.

  
“Who is this human? He’s trespassing!” 

“Shh, let him explain himself first.”

Donghyuck stirred awake at the sound of unfamiliar voices, the grounds beneath him shifting every now and then almost like he’s in a moving vehicle. Frowning, he lifted his eyes open only to realise he was in an unfamiliar place. Jolted by sudden realisation of where he was and the fact that he was, indeed, trespassing, he sat up straight with a fear in his heart. He had been trying so hard to get out of trouble and now his efforts were in vain. Berating himself in his head, he failed to notice that the people conversing have turned their attention to him.

“Ah, you’re awake,” the voice addressing him startled him out of his silent panic meltdown. He looked around wildly but Donghyuck couldn’t see anyone in his line of sight. That’s strange, he frowned.

“Who’s there?” He called out in confusion. 

“Down here,” Donghyuck looked down, not expecting to see a boy with light purple hair laying down on the floor. His skin alabaster white stark against the dark flooring and cherry lips pursed as he looked up at Donghyuck in warranted suspicion. He was cute, only a bit too colourful for Donghyuck’s liking.

“And you are…?”

Purple haired kid only laughed as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. He lifted himself up, his smile suddenly wiped out off his face as he stared at Donghyuck, cold and aloof. Donghyuck swallowed, suddenly terrified out of his mind by this baby faced kid with bright hair.

“I should be the one asking you that,” He said, voice so cold it sent a shiver through Donghyuck’s spine.

“I-I’m Donghyuck,” he stammered, recoiling when he realised he was _ scared _ of this kid. He’s never been scared of anyone aside from Yuta in his bad days, so this was new. It wasn’t very pleasant either.

“Well, _ Donghyuck _, how did you get in here?” Purple boy continued harassing him, getting nearer and nearer and effectively making Donghyuck feel very uncomfortable.

“Uh…I don’t know…I just entered the shed and fell asleep. I wasn’t expecting anyone to live here,” he explained lamely, which seemed to satisfy the scary purple kid as he pulled back, staring at him with a look of apprehension.

“Hmm…” he contemplated for a while before turning to the fireplace. “What should we do with this one, Jisung?”

“Just kick him out, this place is too small for one more!” Donghyuck almost fainted when the fire began talking in a scratchy, deep voice, the features of human apparent on the element. He thought nothing could surprise him anymore after Jaemin, but this was another level altogether.

“The fire…it’s alive?” He choked out, wondering if he’s in some kind of trippy dream when he saw ‘Jisung’ looking at him in distaste like he was a piece of trash. Even if it was a dream, Donghyuck felt incredibly offended.

“Yes, I am,” Jisung deadpanned. Donghyuck gaped, turning from the _ living _ fire to the purple boy struggling to keep himself from laughing out loud. Had he been transported to a magical world while he was sleeping?

“We should keep this one, he’s hilarious,” he said to his fire companion, as if Donghyuck being confused beyond his comprehension was a sitcom he enjoyed watching.

“What’s your name, kid?” He asked just for the sake of changing the topic, not appreciating being the butt of the joke.

“Chenle,” he answered with a raised eyebrow, as if challenging Donghyuck to say something. Of course Donghyuck would say something, more so that this little kid and his fire friend seemed to look down on him for some reason.

“Well, listen here _ Chenle _—“ he began but was cut off by a loud ring. He looked up at the source of sound, realising there was a colourful wheel whirring beside the door and a flashing light on top of the door he failed to see before. The light came to a stop and the wheel’s pointer paused at the black section before Chenle hurriedly opened the door, the harsh wind and slight view Donghyuck caught a glimpse of surely wasn’t from where Donghyuck came from. Getting more puzzled each minute, he watched as Chenle let someone in, and oh—

“Hey, kids, did you behave while I was gone?” It was a voice Donghyuck hadn’t heard in a long time, from the person whom Donghyuck least expected to ever see again. The person in question didn’t seem to notice him at first, which worked for Donghyuck as he was hoping he would melt in the wall or be anywhere but here. Obviously, life was never fair to him.

Jaemin stopped in his track, eyes zeroed in on him. Donghyuck squirmed under the attention, legs twitching to get out of that ridiculously comfortable bed and zoom right out of that transporting door to whichever place faraway from the bane of his existence. For obvious reasons, he stayed still.

“Donghyuck?” The warm affection in his voice mixed with pure confusion almost broke Donghyuck. He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes and willing this to just be a dream. He opened his eyes just to see all three people and the entity in the room staring at him.

He winced. Damn his curiosity, he was never going to sleep in an unfamiliar place ever again his whole life.

“Uh…hi?” He waved awkwardly, wishing that the ground would swallow him whole at the blank faces he got in return. Surprisingly, Jaemin started smiling widely at the unexpected sight. Donghyuck held his breath, wondering if Jaemin was genuinely happy or he was plotting ways to kick Donghyuck out off his strange abode.

“Told you it’s destiny,” he finally said with a grin, and the tension melted away. Chenle and Jisung watched the weird interaction with little interest, Chenle scooting to Jisung’s spot to have a conversation and leave the two alone. It was quiet as the two stared at each other, Donghyuck drinking it in just in case it was indeed an illusion. 

“Are you real?” Donghyuck broke the silence, eliciting a surprised laugh out of Jaemin. He nodded, stepping closer but not near enough to scare Donghyuck off. Sitting at a chair near the fireplace where Chenle and Jisung were still busy conversing, it took a moment for him to gather his thoughts. While waiting, Donghyuck watched Jaemin’s face that hadn’t changed at all, still beautiful and youthful. The only thing that had changed was his hair, now ink black. It made him look younger, enhancing his features. Donghyuck cleared his throat, looking away before Jaemin could catch him staring.

“You must have so many questions, right?” Jaemin began hesitantly, smile crooked. Donghyuck shrugged, he indeed did. “You can ask me, I’ll try my best to answer,” he continued, giving Donghyuck full permission to grill him. Donghyuck squinted, wondering if Jaemin knew what he was about to get himself into since Donghyuck had many, many questions and he was not hesitant to fire all of them. Well, since he gave his word, it was fine.

“Where am I?” He began with the easiest, most obvious question. Jaemin seemed to expect that, since he launched into explanation.

“This is my place, and I call it my ‘Moving Castle’ if you will. It’s disguised when it’s immobile but right now it’s currently moving. You can look up there,” he said, pointing out the window. Donghyuck followed his finger, eyes bulging when he saw the many accessories above the roof that surely wasn’t there when he first got in. Looking down, the place was indeed moving with the help of extended claw-like legs like it had a life of its own. Donghyuck’s jaw dropped without realising, completely intrigued and deeply confused at the same time. He has never seen anything like this before.

“We avoid muddy places since it can leave marks and only move when it’s sunny out or at places that are completely abandoned. We have been very careful all this time and honestly didn’t expect any guests to slip in,” Jaemin grinned cheekily at the end of the sentence, clearly teasing Donghyuck. “But since it’s you, I guess it’s fine.”

“Why would it be fine?” He frowned. Does he look like an easy target? He could easily report this if anyone were to believe him but he doesn’t think that would happen.

“Because I know you,” Jaemin replied easily. The familiar anger grew again in the pit of his stomach, remembering how Jaemin had left him without saying goodbye and how he moved far away just so he could forget about Jaemin but he never could; he always popped up in his mind every now and then. He’s like a piece of gum under his shoe that refused to be removed even after Donghyuck has scrubbed hard. It was unnerving that Jaemin acted like everything was fine when in fact it was not.

“Well, if you know me so well, then why are you acting like nothing’s wrong?” Donghyuck’s voice grew harsh, and even Chenle and Jisung dropped their conversation to pay attention to them with matching scandalised expressions. He briefly wondered how a fire could be that expressive before turning back to Jaemin whose smile had gone, looking so solemn and miserable that Donghyuck almost felt bad for the sudden outburst. 

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, eyes downcast. It took him some time to form his next words, mouth opening and closing as he stumbled for the right thing to say. “I know it’s my fault for leaving without a word. It wasn’t my intention, I swear. I just needed some time for myself, and I thought—I don’t know, I’m dumb—I just though, you know—you wouldn’t really care.”

Donghyuck stared at him in disbelief. He thought Donghyuck didn’t _ care _? So Jaemin didn’t know everything about him after all. Interesting.

Thinking it over, he probably did indicate that way since he wasn’t the friendliest nor did he talk much with Jaemin. They were, after all, acquaintances at best. Donghyuck himself didn’t know why he got so hung up on Jaemin’s disappearance. Jaemin was right, he shouldn’t mean that much to Donghyuck, but he did. 

“You’re really an idiot,” Donghyuck said without missing a beat. Jaemin nodded in acknowledgment, still pouting like a little child that got scolded. “But I’m an idiot too,” that took Jaemin by surprise, his head quickly lifting to meet Donghyuck’s eyes.

“I never told you this but I truly enjoy your company. All this time, I only have my brother, and he’s great and all but I need a friend as well. Someone I feel comfortable with, someone I can have fun with. You’re the closest to one I ever had. I only realised that once you were gone. Maybe that’s why you think I don’t care, but I do,” he said carefully, watching in relief as Jaemin’s expression turned from concentration as he hung onto Donghyuck’s every word into pure joy once he processed it completely. He looked better when he was happy.

“Do you mean that?” Jaemin asked excitedly. Donghyuck rolled his eyes before nodding, his lips betraying him as they curled in amusement. Jaemin twitched in his seat, a ball of nervous energy that wasn’t sure what to do with himself. It was fun to see Jaemin so out of sorts when he was usually so confident and suave.

“Great! So can we, you know, put this behind us? I really did miss you too,” Jaemin said, lips pulled into a simple smile. His eyes stayed on Donghyuck as he waited for an answer while steadfastly ignoring Chenle mock throwing up and Jisung yelling “DISGUSTING!” repeatedly behind him.

“I didn’t say I missed you though,” Donghyuck teased. Two can play this game. The retching sound grew louder before Chenle promptly climbed the stairs—where did they come from? Donghyuck hadn’t noticed that before—yelling something like “I can’t stand all this flirting, sorry Jisung!” Jisung squawked indignantly since he didn’t actually have any legs to run away from his place and was forced to witness these dumb idiots. He screwed his eyes shut instead and closed his non-existent ears with his fiery hand, being as still as a roaring fire could and pretends he’s not there.

“I think you do,” Jaemin must either be very oblivious or had great confidence to not waver even with those two making chaos just behind his back. “Or am I wrong?” He raised an eyebrow in that infuriatingly attractive way of his.

“I think you should shut up,” Donghyuck simply replied. Jaemin mimed a zipping motion in front of his mouth before making a show of opening the zip again.

“One last thing,” he inquired. Donghyuck nodded for him to go on. “How did you get in my bed?”

Donghyuck threw the pillow he’s holding right smack on Jaemin’s smug face. 

“How did you come all the way here, and where are you going?” Donghyuck asked, watching with unveiled interest as the claws began to slow down, smoke coming in puffs from the pipes attached to the roof. It looked like something right out of a decade old fantasy book.

“That’s the fun of it,” Jaemin said, leaning on the window pane. “No one knows where it will carry us, there’s no set destination in mind. Maybe me missing you influenced the direction though,” He wiggled his eyebrows, still as cheesy as ever. Donghyuck rolled his eyes. He didn’t miss it that much, especially not the tooth-rotting pick-up lines. 

“As much as I would like to stay, Mark will worry sick if I don’t go back home,” he said to Jaemin once his ‘castle’ came to a stop at an unfamiliar place, also equally deserted. He wondered how they managed to keep it hidden so well when it was actually so gigantic. Jaemin explained that he had cast an invisibility spell on the castle so that it would vanish every time it was on the move and just before it skidded to a stop. Which brought him to his next question:

“Then why don’t you cast that spell on yourself when you want to do your floating business?” Jaemin laughed, nodding as he acknowledged that Donghyuck indeed did have a point. They stepped out, Chenle watching them closely as they did so while Jisung was probably plotting ways to burn Donghyuck’s hair judging by his hateful squint. The door shut lightly beneath them. 

“Eh, too much effort to do that every time. It takes too much energy,” he said, lying down completely from his sitting position to stare at the sky. It was quiet for awhile, Jaemin seemingly unbothered by the possibility of Mark leading a search team to hunt for his brother, but Donghyuck wouldn’t put it past him. He could be extremely overprotective at times.

“The sky’s pretty,” Jaemin commented offhandedly. Donghyuck nodded mutely, head raised upwards to the dark blue sky signalling it was already late afternoon. “It’s prettier to look at it from a closer distance though,” he continued. He voiced it out like an invitation but it was probably Donghyuck’s imagination.

“Jaemin…” he started again, voice laced with warning. He knew what Jaemin was trying to do, he was trying to drag as much time as he could. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t flattered by the fact that Jaemin wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, but he had to make sure Mark was eating properly today. After Mark started to take better care of himself then maybe he could be more lenient. Jaemin pouted, knowing he had gotten caught. He lifted himself up, giving Donghyuck a playful glare.

“Fine, I’ll send you home—or as close to home I can. You still have to walk a distance away though. For confidentiallity’s sake,” Jaemin added the last part quickly, not wanting Donghyuck to get the wrong idea. He rose, pulling Donghyuck up after. 

“Let’s go then,” He said, letting Donghyuck enter first. Donghyuck wouldn’t say it but he had missed Jaemin’s gentleman ways. He liked being spoiled, and hadn't really done that enough for himself.

True to his words, Jaemin dropped Donghyuck a mile away from his place, the castle strategically hidden beneath thick trees and bushes. Donghyuck watched in amazement as the gigantic moving castle—it was grand but not visually appealing to be called so—shrunk down until all that remained was that mysterious shed Donghyuck had dumbly broken into. Mark was right about him being too reckless. 

“Till we meet again,” Jaemin bid him goodbye, giving a little bow just to be ridiculously dramatic. Donghyuck rolled his eyes, waving like a normal person. He could see Chenle peeking from the window, failing miserably to be discreet since his bright hair stuck out like a sore thumb. He waved at Chenle instead, watching in amusement as Chenle’s face fell upon realising he had been found out. He begrudgingly waved back, looking completely unwilling. Donghyuck turned to Jaemin who was still waiting on the door.

“You’re not going to ghost me again, are you?” He spoke up, walking backwards to the empty street. Jaemin shook his head, a glimmer of regret in his eyes - gone as soon as it came.

“I’ll return to you. One way or another. Since it’s—“ Donghyuck cut him off mid-sentence, already able to tell what Jaemin was going to say simply judging by the melancholic look on his face.

“If you say something related to destiny again, I’ll make sure we never meet again for good,” Jaemin quieted immediately, nodding mutely. Donghyuck grinned, waving one last time before running back to the semi-familiar path back home. 

“See you guys later!” He yelled out, turning to another route and promptly losing sight of them. They were probably already moving by then. Usually he would feel grumpy after returning from class but this time he walked lightly, humming to himself. He was feeling unusually happy, probably because of a good company. He always felt energised after interacting with people. It was a shame that it didn’t happen often.

He arrived at his porch, seeing Mark’s shoes lined neatly against the wall. Mark arrived home early today. Usually Donghyuck had to call him just so he wouldn’t stay overtime for too long. It was a good thing so Donghyuck didn’t question it, opening the door to find Mark sitting on the sofa while holding his phone, frowning in the middle of typing something. Mark looked up, relief apparent in his face. He dropped his phone on the sofa, beckoning Donghyuck to come in. 

“There you are! I was about to call you,” Mark said, uncharacteristically jumpy as he patted the empty space beside him. “Come sit here.”

Donghyuck stared at Mark, finding his behaviour peculiar since usually Mark would make him shower and scrub himself clean before getting into Mark’s space. He was particular like that. He didn’t seem to care today though, impatiently patting at the spot again.

Donghyuck obeyed, getting confused. Today was so eventful for him that it was hard to process what’s even going on right now. Mark turned to him once he had settled, his eyes bright and lips curled into a wide smile. Donghyuck felt a sense of relief since whatever it was Mark was hyped about, it was good news.

“So my boss called me into his office today since he was worried about my health and after much deliberation…” he mimed a drumroll. Donghyuck rolled his eyes at his brother’s silly antic, a fond smile tugging his lips. 

“He decided to let me work normal hours but I get overtime pay! It lasts for about a month, but that’s more than enough,” Mark announced excitedly. Donghyuck blinked, slightly impressed that Mark’s boss was that generous. He must’ve felt bad for landing one of his best workers in the hospital.

“That’s great news!” Donghyuck said with just as much spirit, because it was indeed wonderful news. Mark’s legs bounced restlessly, a clear indicator that he was still thrilled.

“It’s all thanks to you as well, he said that you convinced him to let me rest more,” Mark continued, much to Donghyuck’s bemusement. He didn’t remember such a thing, the only thing he recalled doing was being bitingly sarcastic. Huh, guess that method could work after all.

Donghyuck laughed a little, slightly confused but glad that it ended up well. He congratulated Mark, belatedly realising that since now Mark no longer chained himself to work, he was not going to stay alone in the house waiting for Mark to return like a loser anymore. His expression lit up at the thought of having constant company.

Now that the high had worn off, Mark pushed him away and demanded he take a shower since he apparently reeked. He didn’t ask of Donghyuck’s whereabouts even when he had arrived home later than he usually does, probably out of respect for Donghyuck's privacy. Donghyuck was an adult after all. Mark probably trusted him to some degree to take good care of himself.

Lying on the bed, he recalled today’s events, Jaemin had appeared in front of his eyes like magic, Chenle the frightening pretty boy and Jisung the cranky fire spirit, the fact that he had learned to accept the unacceptable. Then there was Mark, his brother finally reaping the rewards he deserved and being healthy and happy. It was everything he wanted and more. Without realising it, he dozed off with a slight smile on his face.

  
  


True to his word, Jaemin found his way to him again. He somehow always knew how to find him, even in the most obscure of places.

Donghyuck was hiding in the restroom during a gap between his classes, too lazy to find something to do to fill his time. He wasn’t hungry and not in the mood to freeze himself in the library since he forgot his jacket today. Somehow his mind decided the best course of action to take was to lock himself in one of the stalls in the ridiculously cramped toilet. Of course. That was until someone knocked on his stall, startling him from a very elaborate daydream of drenching Jisung with water just to see if that would kill him.

Heart pounding in his ear, he stayed still for a second. It was probably accidental, he thought to himself before he relaxed again. The calm was momentary before the person on the other side knocked again. 

“Donghyuck?” Hearing the familiar voice, Donghyuck’s jaw dropped open. What was he doing here of all places and how did he know where Donghyuck was, even the stall he was in? He stood up, almost ripping the door off its hinges to face no other than his bane of existence.

“_Jaemin _?” He all but shrieked, promptly getting embarrassed when he noticed that they weren’t alone and his outburst wasn’t appreciated. Jaemin looked smug when Donghyuck pushed him out of the restroom by the chest, resolutely not commenting on the firmness against his hands. Jaemin didn’t get his strength out of nowhere after all.

Once Donghyuck steered them to an inconspicuous enough place, he turned to Jaemin exasperatedly. He didn’t look very guilty, in fact he looked at peace, like he belonged there. If Donghyuck hadn't known him he would probably believe that Jaemin was a normal college student with slightly expensive taste.

“You need to stop doing that!” He meant to berate Jaemin, but it only came out whiny. He cleared his throat, attempting to try again but Jaemin beat him to it.

“You said you wanted to see me again, so here I am,” he said leisurely, gesturing to himself. He then turned around, looking all over the campus in slight wonder before meeting Donghyuck’s eyes with a huge grin. “Plus, I’ve always wanted to experience college life.”

“I didn’t say that, stop putting words in my mouth!” Donghyuck sputtered, knowing full well he wasn’t that shameless. Jaemin shrugged and started walking aimlessly much to Donghyuck’s dismay since now he had to follow along to make sure Jaemin didn’t get lost. He didn’t need to, but he felt responsible since he was more familiar with this place. Since Donghyuck stumbled into Jaemin’s world and was welcomed in a decent way, he felt it was fair to return the favour.

“My class is in two hours so I can’t show you much,” he said, checking his watch. It was still quite an amount of time left that would be better spent showing Jaemin around instead of overthinking himself to death in the smelly toilet. Jaemin nodded, obediently following after Donghyuck as he pointed and explained about the venues on the campus—the library at the upper floor, classes sporadically placed on every level and the cafeteria at the ground floor. 

It wasn’t much compared to his magical castle, but the way Jaemin was completely bright-eyed and focused as if he was in a brand new world left a comfortably warm feeling in the pit of Donghyuck’s stomach. Maybe this was what Jaemin felt when he held Donghyuck’s hands and guided him to walk in the sky. It was a good feeling.

All too soon, it was time for Donghyuck’s next class. He told as much to Jaemin, heart deflating when he saw Jaemin’s face fall. Jaemin lets him go, albeit heavily, promising to meet him again later.

“Donghyuck,” Jaemin called out before Donghyuck could get too far. Donghyuck turned and quirked his eyebrows in silent question. “I haven’t told you this, but I enjoy your company as well,” he grinned, waving before turning around and leaving, just like that.

Donghyuck’s breath caught in his throat. How dare Jaemin drop this on him and leave like it was nothing? He watched in bewilderment at the boy that never failed to rile him up yet made him all warm and happy. It was odd, but Donghyuck wouldn’t say that he disliked it.

He just wished that Jaemin could stay longer.

  
  


He brought Mark to the place he used to work, sitting in front of Jeno who looked genuinely happy to see him. After a brief introduction and some conversations exchanged between them consisting of logics and statistics which Donghyuck stayed out of since he’s neither a business major nor an office worker, Donghyuck came to the conclusion that Mark has positively fallen in love with Jeno. He didn’t blame him, who wouldn’t?

“Your barista friend is _ brilliant_,” Mark was positively beaming, and Donghyuck almost felt offended when Mark seemed to prefer Jeno’s company over his own, but he didn’t take it into heart. His brother and his friend were both sweethearts, of course they would be excited to meet someone new, moreover someone so similar to their own selves.

“If you didn’t make me pull out then maybe you could have seen him more often,” Donghyuck teased, enjoying seeing the pout on Mark’s face. It was always entertaining to tease his brother.

Just then, he caught sight of someone waving from afar, the black hair and slim figure unmistakable. His fight or flight response awakened as Jaemin got closer. He wasn’t ready to let them meet yet, but he couldn’t just kick one of them away. In the middle of a silent meltdown, his brain suddenly decided to grace him with a rare stroke of genius.

He pretended to look for something, patting his body for extra measure and effectively causing Mark to falter mid-sentence to look at him with a frown. Jaemin was still a good distance away, so he quickly laid down his next plan.

“I think I dropped my pendrive at the store. Could you be a dear and fetch it for me?” He lied smoothly, adding puppy eyes for extra measure. Mark nodded seriously, completely buying his story and dashing off to the cafe. 

“Be right back!” He yelled. Donghyuck almost felt bad but then Jaemin stepped in front of him, eyes fixed on Dongyuck’s charade. His eyebrow was raised, eyes following after Mark’s running figure before returning to Donghyuck with a knowing look. Donghyuck could tell Jaemin already understood what was going on without even needing to say a word.

“I didn’t realise you wanted us to be a secret,” He had his default expression on his face, a hint of amusement in his smile that Donghyuck pointedly ignored. “Sorry, I’ll make sure we’re alone next time so that you won’t send your brother running.”

Donghyuck groaned as Jaemin laughed, high and mocking. He wasn’t offended, but he would prefer not to be laughed at since he wasn’t cracking the joke. He glared at Jaemin until he stopped laughing, sending him on his merry way since anytime from now Mark would come back again.

“So you want to be private, I get it,” Jaemin dilly-dallies as he walked away slowly. Donghyuck leered at him, it really was not the time for jokes. Jaemin got the hint, raising his hands in surrender. 

“Fine, I know when I’m unwanted. See you at a better time, I guess,” Jaemin said, slightly downcast. Donghyuck froze, a heavy weight on his chest at the sight of Jaemin’s weary back.

“I want to see Chenle and Jisung again, tell me where I can go to see them,” he said finally, leaving the unspoken word behind. He didn’t want to stroke Jaemin’s ego to become any larger than it already was. Jaemin turned around, twinkle in his eyes.

“Any day you have no class? We’ll pick you up at the same place we dropped you off last time,” Jaemin said after a slight deliberation. Donghyuck had an inkling Jaemin knew exactly when Donghyuck had no classes and was just asking to be respectful. He shrugged, eyes turned upward as he tried to remember his own schedule.

“Friday’s fine. I’ll be there by 11,” he promised. Jaemin brightened, waving one last time and yelled out “It’s a date!” before dashing off. Donghyuck watched on, shaking his head at the childish antic. He was surrounded by grown babies.

In the nick of time, he spotted Mark’s figure running to him from afar. He wondered why they were both running like they were in some kind of rush. His brother came closer to him, wiping his sweat with the back of his head as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Sorry, Hyuck, couldn’t find it,” Mark was genuinely sorry, making Donghyuck feel terrible for lying to him. 

“It’s fine, I probably left it somewhere. Thanks anyway,” he said, patting Mark’s head as a reward, not minding his sweaty hair. Mark looked confused yet pleased by the sudden affection, not pulling away from his hand.

“Let’s go home and prepare dinner, I’m famished after all the running,” Mark said after catching his breath and led the way back home. Donghyuck followed, sparing a glance at his back in case Jaemin was still there but he wasn’t. He turned to the front again, feeling stupid like a kid looking for his crush. Ridiculous, he wiped that thought clean as he pulled Mark away from falling into a partially broken drain. 

  
  


Jaemin wasn’t there when Donghyuck arrived at the castle. Chenle only shrugged when he asked, muttering something like “he’s in one of his moods again.” Donghyuck had no idea what Chenle meant by that.

He sat near the fireplace, trying to converse with Jisung but the fire wasn’t giving him an easy pass. He began sweating, both from the heat and from the intensity of Jisung actively firing on him—or more like firing on him through Jaemin.

“He’s gone _ soft_. Even letting humans in, what was he thinking?” Jisung nagged, his slanted eyes narrowed into slits every time he glanced at Donghyuck. He briefly wondered what had happened to make Jisung hate the human race this much, excluding Jaemin and Chenle. In fact, Donghyuck would give them a pass since he wasn’t even sure if they were fully human or not even when they looked the part. Donghyuck had been nothing but decent to them. Jisung got better treatment compared to his previous customers, and he didn’t even appreciate it, Donghyuck thought distastefully.

Chenle didn’t seem to mind his presence at least, polite enough to offer him a glass of water, the only drink that Chenle hadn’t staked claim on or was of suspicious concoction. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward when no one said a word. It would be easier if Jaemin was here, he would know how to lighten the mood.

“How did you guys decide to live together, anyway?” He asked after much deliberation, too curious to keep to himself. They looked at him before exchanging looks, seemingly having a silent conversation between themselves. They were probably thinking whether it was a good idea to let an outsider know. Donghyuck was already in too deep anyway, why not?

They seemed to have the same line of thought as him, since Chenle turned back to face him and cleared his throat.

“Jisung here has been with him since the beginning. They picked me up along the way and here we are,” He said simply, laying down on the bed. The lack of details annoyed him, but Donghyuck kept quiet and nodded politely. He took a sip of his drink, thinking carefully before voicing his next question.

“Where does Jaemin go half of the time? Is it his habit to disappear whenever he wants?”

Chenle’s face turned from slight apprehension to carefully blank, devoid of emotion. Donghyuck winced, realising he asked the wrong thing.

“It’s not my place to tell.” And that was that. Donghyuck nodded tightly, gripping on his cup. Jisung was looking bored, silently eyeing Donghyuck with pure fury.

“Why do you hate me so much?” Donghyuck asked frankly, tilting his head to look at Jisung properly. Jisung didn’t look surprised, almost as if he expected that question.

“I just don’t like you. Don’t need a reason for that,” he stated, pouty with his fiery head held high. Donghyuck chuckled, he couldn’t even feel mad if he wanted to. He just found Jisung cute.

“I’ll make you change your mind one day,” he promised. It would be fun trying to crack Jisung who was equally, if not more, as stubborn as him.

Jisung was about to protest, yell at him perhaps, when the wheel turned and the door opened to Jaemin’s tainted pretty face, looking pretty much worse to wear with soot covering him from top to bottom. Donghyuck’s jaw dropped, wondering why he’s even surprised anymore.

“What _ happened _ to you?” He asked anyway, because how the hell did Jaemin even get in that kind of condition? Jaemin took a while to answer, busy shaking off the dirt off his body at the door mat. Donghyuck cringed at the amount of dust on the floor. He would make Jaemin clean that up later.

“Let’s just say, I got into a bit of…a chimney situation,” he grinned, finally turning to acknowledge his audience. Even in a mess, Jaemin still looked dashing. It was unfair really.

“I’m not even going to ask you to elaborate on that,” Donghyuck sighed, feeling dizzy all of asudden. He leaned on the bed behind him, watching as Jaemin headed upstairs (seriously, where did those stairs came from?) to change, yelling a “be right back” behind him.

Donghyuck shook his head, turning to the other two only to be taken back by Chenle’s sharp gaze on him. He frowned, wondering what it was that he had done to offend him. He was just having a diplomatic conversation, nothing out of the ordinary.

Chenle turned to Jisung who was having fun lifting and dropping from the wood from beneath him. Jisung stopped when Chenle regarded him, and they were having the silent conversation again. Donghyuck wondered if they were psychically connected.

“You guys are awfully close, huh?” Donghyuck said, suddenly feeling left out. He always craved a connection like that. Mark and he had something close, but sometimes Mark could be so daft. Donghyuck learned not to take it personally.

They turned to him with matching expressions of mild amusement. Donghyuck was growing more confused by the minute. 

“So do you and Jaemin hyung, it seems,” Chenle finally said, a little teasing grin on his face. Donghyuck sat in silence, belatedly realising he was beginning to flush. His suspicion was confirmed when Chenle’s smile grew and even Jisung was laughing at him. Donghyuck groaned. Great, now they think Donghyuck and Jaemin have a _ thing _. 

“He’s my friend,” he said lamely, a feeble attempt to defend himself. They clearly didn’t believe him, if the growing grins were of any indication. Chenle only hummed noncommittally, like he was trying to appease Donghyuck. He’s not sure how to feel about a kid treating him like he was one.

And that’s how Jaemin found them a moment later after he had had a shower and changed into a fresh pair of clothes: Jisung struggling not to fall from his wood as he mercilessly teased Donghyuck and Chenle wiggled his eyebrows at Donghyuck’s pouty face. He took a moment to savour the sight, feeling a slight warmth in his chest. It was strange, he frowned. He had been feeling that a lot lately, especially when he was in Donghyuck’s company. He wondered if he was coming down with something.

“What’s this, having fun without me?” He said, finally making himself known. They all turned to him, and for some reason it felt familiar, comfortable. He always returned home to Chenle and Jisung so it didn’t deter him, but Donghyuck’s presence was seamless, like he fitted right in.

“You were too busy being filthy,” Jisung poked his tongue out playfully. Jaemin shrugged, coming to sit beside Donghyuck on the floor. He looked up at Chenle sitting on the chair in front of Jisung, conversing quietly amongst themselves. He turned to Donghyuck who quickly averted his gaze. Donghyuck berated himself, knowing he had already given himself away. He didn’t even have to look to know that Jaemin was smirking at him. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Jaemin knocked his shoulder against him lightly. Donghyuck turned to face him, admiring the water droplet falling from the damp locks. He blinked, returning Jaemin’s inquiring gaze.

“Where did you go by the way?” He asked. Since he couldn't get a direct answer from Chenle and Jisung wouldn’t even spare him a glance, he figured it would be better if he asked directly. Jaemin silenced at that, his expression turning a bit somber. Donghyuck frowned, wondering what was it that they’re being so secretive about. It wasn't like Donghyuck hadn’t seen it all.

Instead of the answer he was hoping for, Jaemin changed the topic seamlessly.

“I want to show you something,” he heaved himself up, offering a hand to Donghyuck. He rolled his eyes and played along. If Jaemin didn’t want to say, it was fine. He didn’t owe him an explanation.

He accepted the hand, feeling himself pulled easily just like last time. He gave a questioning gaze which Jaemin returned with a meaningful smile. Donghyuck rolled his eyes at the secrecy, watching Jaemin exchange a few words with the other two before tugging his hand forward to the door. The wheel began spinning suddenly, giving Donghyuck a minor fright. Jaemin pulled the door open when it spun to a stop on a blue section and headed out. Donghyuck followed warily, having no other option considering their hands were still intertwined. 

Once outside, Donghyuck couldn’t help but gape at the unexpected view. Instead of long streets or thick green trees or grey pavements usually seen in city areas, Donghyuck’s line of sight was all blue. Blue skies, blue seas. Looking slightly down, he could see pearly sand almost sparkling under the sun. He turned to Jaemin who was already looking back with a grin at the astonishment written all over his face.

“Let’s go,” he said gently, leading him forward. Donghyuck followed him, the door closing and dissipating into nothingness behind him.   
  
  


“I usually go here when I need time out to sort myself out. It’s peaceful,” Jaemin said later when they were both comfortably laying down under the shade beneath a coconut tree. It didn’t cover them completely, but it wasn’t scorching, only comfortably warm.

Donghyuck looked around appreciatively, admiring the calming sound of waves hitting the shore and birds flying overhead. He could definitely see the appeal.

“I haven’t been to a beach since forever,” Donghyuck said, shrinking back to cover when the sun hits his face. Jaemin hummed, indicating he was listening. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to again until way later, to be honest.”

Jaemin was watching him carefully, cogs spinning inside his head. Donghyuck wondered what conclusion he arrived at that made him suddenly nod, looking very determined. 

“I’ll take you to every place you want to go,” Jaemin said seriously. Blinking, Donghyuck began to laugh awkwardly, thinking it was clearly a joke only to completely stop when Jaemin didn’t crack a smile at all. 

“Wait—seriously?” Jaemin nodded. Now, Donghyuck was the one trying to figure him out. “But…why?”

Jaemin shrugged, sighing as he laid down on his back.

“I just want to,” the response reminded Donghyuck of Jisung, and he could tell where the stubborn fire had gotten his personality from. 

Mimicking Jaemin’s position, he stared at the azure skies. It was beautiful, and the sight cleared his head a little. He had been burned out from college, and this was surely more than enough of a leeway for him to let loose a bit. He could feel the exhaustion leaving his bodies with each crash of waves and chirping of birds and without even realising it, his eyes pulled shut.

“You need to stop sleeping on me, sweetheart,” Donghyuck twitched, opening his eyes to the sight of Jaemin with his hand supporting his head, staring at him with a fond smile. Donghyuck gasped lightly, not even meaning to fall asleep in the first place. It only sunk a bit later what Jaemin had been calling him, and he rolled over just to hide his burning face.

“I’m beginning to think that my presence is boring you,” Jaemin continued, undeterred. Donghyuck turned to him, trying to convince that no, Donghyuck was just dysfunctional and sleep-deprived—

“Oh wow, you’re really red. Sunburn?” He teased, his sweet laugh sounded mocking to Donghyuck’s ears. Donghyuck turned brighter, letting out a sound in between a whine and an angry yelp before promptly turning the other way.

“I’m not speaking to you,” he spat out, scooping out the sand nearest to him. It felt silky in his hand, not a speck of dirt in sight. He heard Jaemin hummed behind, shifting his position around. He ignored him.

“Such a shame…” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, knowing Jaemin was about to go at it again. “I’ve brought you here, let you walk in the sky with me, probably would lasso the entire moon for if you want me to. But here you are, ignoring me after sleeping the whole time we were together.”

Donghyuck stifled his laugh, but he didn’t heed. He wanted Jaemin to suffer a bit longer.

“You don’t have to lasso the moon, you’ve got magic,” he pointed out instead. He heard Jaemin let out a long-suffering sigh, knowing he was doing that dramatic gesture where he rested the tips of his fingers against his forehead lightly.

“It requires more effort, but I would do that for you. If only that would make you not ignore me, if only…” Jaemin’s tone was so comically somber that Donghyuck let out a little snicker, which turned into full-blown laughter. He finally turned around, meeting Jaemin’s satisfied expression like making Donghyuck laugh was his biggest achievement.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Jaemin shrugged, not offended at all. His hair was getting longer, almost reaching his shoulders. He looked like a prince, something out of a fairy book. He met Donghyuck’s gaze with a soft smile, face supported by the heel of his hands.

“Only for you,” his voice was soft, bordering on an emotion Donghyuck wasn’t familiar with.

Feeling himself flush under the heavy gaze on him, Donghyuck dumped the fistful of sand in his fist on Jaemin’s hair as a distraction, successfully removing Jaemin’s attention from him as he squawked and scampered to remove the sand from his silky hair. Donghyuck laughed, merry and happy as he lifted himself up and ran to the sea.

“Last one’s a rotten egg!” he yelled, turning around to see Jaemin right beside him and it should be discerning how everything felt like deja vu but also brand new when he was with Jaemin, but he was feeling better than he ever had in years, so he decided to take it as it came. Some things didn’t require an explanation.

By the end of it, they were both equally damp and dirty from the sand, and Jisung and Chenle stared at them distastefully when they showed up at the entrance again. The front mat was positively soiled now beneath their feet, which Jaemin wasn’t really bothered about, saying that he would just cast some cleaning hex which worked better than Clorox ever could. Donghyuck was tempted to kidnap him just to force him to place some spells on his house to keep it clean and orderly with minimal effort. The amount of time Mark and him have had to break their backs just to reach some surfaces was just ridiculous.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t feed off of Jaemin hyung’s antics. Turns out I’m hoping for too much,” Chenle clucked his tongue at the sight of them, simply gesturing with his hand for them to go upstairs and clean themselves. 

Heeding, Donghyuck grinned sheepishly and followed after Jaemin’s lead. He stepped onto the stairs, not for the first time wondering how he had missed them when he first came in. It was probably part of the disguise, Donghyuck figured. Anything could be done with magic.

Stretching his neck, he looked curiously at the closed doors, wondering why there were so many of them when there were only two people resembling human beings and a fire that certainly didn’t need his own room. He peeked on the slightly ajar room across from him, finding it impeccably neat and certainly unoccupied, seeing the contrasting state of the rest of the place.

Donghyuck turned back to the front, realising he had lost sight of Jaemin. He hastened his steps, angrily wondering why the corridor was so unnecessarily long that he almost ran out of breath. Jaemin popped out from one of the rooms fully changed and clean, effectively startling Donghyuck to oblivion. He grinned under Donghyuck’s affronted glare and beckoned him inside. 

“I like to sleep downstairs, but this room is for other necessities,” Jaemin explained, gesturing to the cramped homey place with gusto. It looked like the rest of the castle, unnecessary but feeling very much like home. Random belongings were scattered around the room, above the table and inside open drawers. Donghyuck felt a headache coming by the state of the room.

“There’s some clothes on top of the mattress. Bathroom’s over there,” he said, referring to the single thin mattress lying on the floor, clearly it hadn’t been used often, if at all, and the single wooden door at the corner of the room. He turned around and exited the room, wanting to give Donghyuck some privacy. He didn’t go very far, humming as he waited outside.

“All these rooms,” Donghyuck said loudly as he stepped inside the small bathroom, closing the door slightly to allow his voice to travel through before peeling off the shirt sticking to his skin. “And yet you want me to change in yours,” he chucked off his pants next, toeing his shoes off before climbing in the shower, warm water soothing on his skin.

“I’m beginning to think you have an ulterior motive,” he said innocently. Jaemin didn’t say anything, but Donghyuck knew he was listening. He grinned, finishing up quickly.

“I’m done,” he announced, plopping down on the firm mattress, closing his eyes as he felt the lethargy coming in waves. He felt Jaemin moving around, shifting and hooking a hand on Donghyuck’s ankle. Donghyuck opened his eyes slightly, watching Jaemin remove some clothes from the ground before sitting down, his eyes meeting Donghyuck’s own after. His smile came after, on autopilot.

“Did you have fun today?” He asked, tone unsure. Donghyuck cocked his head at him. Since when did the unwaveringly confident Jaemin need reassurance? 

“‘Course,” Donghyuck yawned, stretching lightly. “Never a dull experience with you,” he said truthfully. Jaemin’s smile grew wide, brilliant, almost blinding even under the darkening skies.

“I’m glad,” he turned around to the window, expression falling as he realised. “Have to send you home soon,” he muttered, fingers tightening around Donghyuck’s ankle like that was the last thing he wanted to do. Donghyuck smiled softly at him, reaching over to pat him over the head placatingly.

“We’ll meet again soon,” he cooed. “As long as you don’t disappear on me again, that is.”

Jaemin groaned, burying his face on the bare mattress. Donghyuck laughter rang high in the room before slowly dying off into a small smile when Jaemin turned to his side, squishing his face while staring resolutely at Donghyuck.

“Not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me now.” He pouted. Donghyuck nodded seriously. He was on board with that idea.

  
  


Donghyuck’s bad days never actually went away, despite most his time spent coddling Mark even when he was getting back to his feet alright, skin healthy and no longer scarily skeletal, or bantering with Jisung and Chenle, growing closer and fonder of those two, and of course, in the midst of everything, there was Jaemin who was trying hard to keep his promise—always finding his way to wherever Donghyuck was, with his eyes slowly getting warmer and gaining life, like all it took was Donghyuck coming into his life to light up the spirit inside of him. Even amongst all of this, he still had those nights he felt so alone his skin crawled with the need to be elsewhere, anywhere but here, anyone but himself.

“Donghyuck,” Mark’s voice cut in jarringly through the dissonance in his head, leaning against the wall like he had been there for awhile, just waiting for Donghyuck to realise.

They never talk about it much, but Donghyuck knows Mark can sense it, by the way Donghyuck’s eyes go blank and his usually sharp tongue is kept mum. He smiled, a small painful one.

"Let’s eat, yeah?” He asked, voice brittle. Donghyuck nodded, picking himself up. He hated making Mark worry, when it wasn’t even his fault. Donghyuck was just a bit messed up, just like everyone else. It was getting better though, despite not going away completely.

"What, you’re cooking? I’m surprised you didn’t burn the kitchen,” Donghyuck grinned, quickly putting on a familiar mask, putting a stop to his very unnecessary overthinking. 

Mark’s smile was tight momentarily before letting it go, laughing freely. It was easy to fall back to the familiarity, the easy banter, the way things had always been. "Thought I would get a thanks instead of this blatant insult.”

They laughed over the clearly burnt beef and watery rice, Donghyuck playfully asking whether Mark was planning to poison him before putting the suspicious piece of food in his mouth, chewing slowly as he tried very hard not to wince. He probably failed once he swallowed, judging by Mark’s worsening expression.

“Right…” he said, putting his chopsticks down. Mark was looking guilt-stricken, and Donghyuck would fancy not seeing him cry on the dinner table. “It’s the thought that counts?” He offered, earning him a weak chuckle.

They settled with ramen. Socked feet pressed against each other, they talked about each other’s days, an easy routine established as long as they could remember. Donghyuck was in the middle of complaining about his lecturer refusing to give him more marks when he spent so many painstaking hours on this assignment, _ goddamnit _—when he noticed Mark looking at him unlike the way he always did when he was listening. Instead it was calculative, observing in the sense that left Donghyuck feeling bare.

“What is it?” He asked, wanting to keep his tone light but it came out defensive.

“Oh,” Mark blinked as if he was just realising he was staring. “Nothing,” he smiled, cleanly brushing the topic off. Donghyuck watched him warily, nodding as he let it go. 

“When’s your paycheck? I want to shop,” Donghyuck said instead, steering the conversation smoothly. Mark laughed, punching him weakly on his shoulder before putting his empty bowl down at the coffee table.

“I feel like I’m your parent instead of your sibling,” Mark mused. Donghyuck thought about it, but he couldn’t help but think that those roles overlapped. Mark was the closest thing to parental warmth he had ever known, and he could easily banter with him like normal siblings did. That’s just the way they are.

“You’re both,” Donghyuck grinned, letting his head fall on Mark’s shoulder. They watched the screen showing a rerun of some random drama, criticising the main character for crying five times over the course of ten minutes. Mark popped some popcorn in the microwave and Donghyuck ate most of it, laughing and quoting dumb remarks the characters had said.

They were different, Mark and him. They had different tastes, different approaches to life but they worked hard to settle their differences, to survive in this harsh world. They had made it this far because they had each other. 

He gripped Mark’s hand, ignoring the curious look his brother cast his way. He wouldn’t trade Mark for anything.  
  


Jaemin’s eyes told stories, Donghyuck observed. They dulled under fluorescent light but they were bright when he was amused. They glittered in the dark, crescents when he doubled over in laughter. He felt more human than the first time Donghyuck had seen him, more reachable. Down here in the same ground as Donghyuck instead of high up in the clouds. 

"Something on my face, love?” Jaemin peered at him, eyes rivalling the sun. That was another thing, the pet names. Maybe it was Jaemin’s way of showing he was comfortable with him, maybe he was used to calling people things like that. Donghyuck wracked his head trying to figure it out, before deciding to stop questioning. Let the thought bury itself like many others.

"I’m hungry. What kind of host are you, not even offering me food,” Donghyuck whined loudly, hiding his smile. It gave immediate effect, Jaemin frowned in worry before rushing out the door, the sound of his feet loud against the stairs.

“Oh no, couldn’t possibly let my baby starve! I’m such a horrible person,” Jaemin monologued dramatically, his voice could be heard clearly even from upstairs. He’s making a lot of ruckus, the sound of pans clanking and Jisung squawking could be heard, and a sizzle. He was cooking , Donghyuck realised. He didn’t know Jaemin could do that.

Jaemin returned almost ten minutes later with a plate full of french toast and two banana milks balanced precariously on top—they had just stocked up recently after Donghyuck had nagged his ear off—and placed them on the table in front of Donghyuck.

“Here you are, your majesty. Enjoy your meal,” he winked, sinking back into the seat. Donghyuck blinked in confusion but thanked him nonetheless. He wondered what Jaemin _ couldn’t _ do. He chewed slowly on the food, eyes blinking heavily. He hadn’t slept for more than two hours today. He could feel Jaemin’s eyes on him, prickling, searching. Donghyuck didn’t bother to entertain him.

“You know,” Jaemin began conversationally. Donghyuck knew that tone, he was going to say something he just absolutely knew rang truth. That was never something good.

“For someone who likes complaining about mundane things, you do keep a lot of things that bother you under wraps,” Donghyuck stopped chewing. It felt like an arrow had pierced his heart, Jaemin’s nonchalant words hitting their mark.

“What are you talking about?” Maybe it was due to his muddled mind, but Donghyuck’s tone grew vehement without even realising. Jaemin raised his hand in surrender.

“I’m not looking for a fight. I’m just trying to figure you out,” he said, like it was a normal thing. Like picking apart and assembling Donghyuck as if he were puzzle pieces meant to be solved was just another hobby of his. Because he’s bored. Because he had no other purpose other than seeing the world and touching it with his magic.

“You don’t know me,” Donghyuck snapped, his grip tightening on the fork he’s holding. Jaemin visually startled for a second, before his bewildered expression smoothed over. A pregnant pause fell over them, the awkwardness that Donghyuck thought had diminished coming in full force.

“You’re not giving me the chance to,” Jaemin whispered then, eyes downcast. Donghyuck felt all kinds of awful right at the moment. He released the fork, appetite lost.

“Jaemin,” his voice was soft, placating. Jaemin lifted his eyes up, a small pout on his lips. Donghyuck tried ignoring how endearing that is. “I’m not something for you to figure out. I don’t know myself, I don’t know what I want, if I’m good enough, if I will ever be. I don’t know if the people in my life now will still be here five years from now. It’s nothing personal, okay? I just don’t like being scrutinised.”

He watched Jaemin’s face carefully, every switch of expression, from focus to hurt and disdain before morphing into his determined look, forehead pinched and frown prominent.

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Jaemin said softly, before he continued in a louder voice. “I’ll still be here with you, as well as Jisung and Chenle. And so will your brother,” Jaemin said firmly, like it was a fact. Sky is blue, the grass is green, Donghyuck will never be left alone. 

Donghyuck couldn’t hold onto his words, but he nodded anyway. He pushed the half-eaten plate to Jaemin.

“Let’s eat together and you can try cracking your head figuring me out,” that was a half-joke, but the way Jaemin quickly darted forward and began asking random insignificant questions while they were eating like how Donghyuck felt about the colour gold or whether he preferred sweet or savoury meant that he took the offer seriously. Donghyuck snorted, mood improving significantly at his silly question and answered his every quip patiently. He really was an odd cookie. Not that Donghyuck minded. 

  
  


Maybe as compensation for pissing him off last time or maybe because he just felt like it, Jaemin brought him to see the sunset on the roof, even preparing a blanket for the stargazing after and some snacks to munch on while they waited.

"A man after my own heart,” Donghyuck sighed, resting his head on Jaemin’s shoulder. He didn’t even have to look to know that Jaemin was smiling down at him, the shape of his lips pressed against his temple.

"Just wanna bring you someplace with a view, rest a bit,” Jaemin said, voice soothing and smooth. The sky casted a golden colour as the sun slowly lowered onto the horizon. Donghyuck didn’t say anything, only watching as the sky changed colours and the rise and fall of Jaemin’s chest against his back.

"It’s nice,” he said softly, not realising he was playing with Jaemin’s fingers on his lap. It did feel nice, being held by someone and watching as the day switched to night.

They let silence settle between them as the first signs of stars appeared in the sky before Jaemin spoke up.

"You asked me where I went the other day, right?” He asked suddenly. Donghyuck turned to him, blinking as he reached into the depths of his mind. Did he mean the time when Chenle said he disappeared because he was feeling moody? Donghyuck nodded slowly.

"Well,” he began, pausing as he gathered his thoughts. Donghyuck watched his pursed lips and tiny frown, realising this was a big thing for Jaemin to confess. He was about to say that Jaemin didn’t have to say anything he didn’t want to but he was beaten when Jaemin chose that moment to saunter on.

"I have this bit of a…problem where I found it hard to be, like, happy and content because I just feel…purposeless? If that makes sense?” Donghyuck nodded, encouraging Jaemin to keep talking. Donghyuck could relate, if he didn’t have anything to do to keep his hands and mind busy he would probably drown.

Jaemin nodded to himself, eyes confused and words warped but he kept on going.

"So I usually go places where I can be useful. I can’t say exactly what I do since you may not agree with my actions because it’s not exactly safe, but I like the thrill. I like it when I can help to drive away the bad guys. It’s not superhero work or anything like that, but it makes me feel like I have a purpose,” Jaemin let out a heavy sigh, the moon casting a soft glow on his downcast face.

"That’s why I keep getting chased by those men. I wasn’t doing anything bad, but it’s not exactly legal as well so,” he shrugged, usually bright eyes looking dim as they met Donghyuck’s own, hesitance clear as if he was unsure whether his explanation was plausible. “Just wanted to let you know.”

Jaemin stopped talking, so Donghyuck thought that was the end of it. He raised his blanket-covered arm and pulled Jaemin closer, not liking seeing him so down. Just like him, Jaemin didn’t like to appear weak so Donghyuck understood why he took so long to come around. Lowering one’s guards was never an easy task.

"Thanks for telling me that,” Donghyuck said softly, feeling Jaemin’s arms wrapped around his waist. “You didn’t need to, but I’m glad you trust me enough.”

"It’s only fair for you to know things about me as well,” Jaemin muttered, lips pressed against the skin of his neck. “I didn’t go looking for trouble recently so you wouldn’t have to worry,” his voice was muffled as he let out a wide yawn. A little fire did say Jaemin had a big day searching for limited edition festive drinks because Chenle happened to have cravings in the middle of summer.

Donghyuck smiled down at him, the scent of Jaemin’s peach shampoo and the bright stars he missed so much twinkling over his head overwhelmed his senses. It felt like a place he belonged to. 

He stared at Jaemin’s side profile, watching as his lashes flutter against his cheek and his breath started to even out. That was when he suddenly noticed his heart started thudding in his chest, faster than usual. He paused in the midst of stroking Jaemin’s hair, staring blankly at the night sky for a moment before his eyes widened in realisation.

_ Oh shit _.

  
  


College was a ploy by the higher ups to suck all semblance of life from students in order to groom them into money-making machines, was Donghyuck’s firm belief. He all but flopped on the bed once he came in, all semblance of manners forgotten. Whatever, not like Jaemin was a stranger anymore.

"You look tired,” Jaemin observed, eyes sharp as he assessed Donghyuck’s taut skin and dark circles. Donghyuck snorted, waving him off weakly.

"I’m a college student. It would be strange if I _ wasn’t _ tired,” he replied, body slack and loose. His eyes automatically slipped slightly shut once his body hit the soft mattress, Jaemin’s voice alerting him to wakefulness again.

"What did you study anyway?” He asked. _ Huh _, Donghyuck thought. So Jaemin knew his sauce preference but he didn’t know basic information like what he was studying? They probably skimmed over that part.

"Political science,” he yawned and scooted over to make some space in case Jaemin wanted to have a seat. Which he did, resting lightly at the edge of the bed with his glittery eyes reflected by the moonlight looking down at Donghyuck. 

"You do have strong opinions about everything,” Jaemin teased, hesitating before warily lifting his hand and placing it on the side of Donghyuck’s head. Donghyuck tensed at the sudden touch at first before leaning into it, prompting Jaemin to run his hand over his hair, the palm of his hand callous and warm. It was comforting, lulling him to security.

"If you keep doing this I’m gonna fall asleep,” Donghyuck mumbled, eyes struggling to stay open. Jaemin shushed him, continuing the comforting gesture.

"It won’t be the first time anyway,” Jaemin laughed softly, ever as mischievous. 

It was only then that Donghyuck realised Jisung was being uncharacteristically quiet, not yelling and asking Donghyuck to: “Leave my sight now! Evaporate!”

He stretched his neck with much effort, ignoring Jaemin’s confused look to see that the fireplace was actually empty. His jaw dropped in shock, all traces of sleep wiped away.

"J...Jisung?” He stuttered, looking at Jaemin desperately. How could he just disappear? Did someone douse him with water? _ What happened? _

Jaemin laughed heartily at his panicked expression, much to Donghyuck’s bemusement.

"He’s fine. Chenle transferred him upstairs with a portable fire pit. The world is convenient nowadays,” he explained, patting Donghyuck’s head in an attempt to console him. Donghyuck relaxed under his touch, lowering himself again but not before catching the front of Jaemin’s shirt and pulling him down with him.

Jaemin blinked in surprise for a moment before it shifted into a laugh. He scooted closer, pillowing his head with his arm.

"Cheeky, aren’t we?” Jaemin certainly wasn’t complaining. 

They were facing each other, breathing rhythmically, almost in sync. Donghyuck studied Jaemin’s face, from his silky black hair, the colour of midnight sky, down to his round wide eyes, button nose, and easy smile. Jaemin was absolutely pretty, there’s no other way to describe it.

"You’re going to burn a hole through my face, baby,” Jaemin’s voice was low, the mood precariously tipping to an unfamiliar territory as Jaemin leaned in closer, resting his forehead against Donghyuck’s, eyes closed.

"I know it goes without saying, but I still want you to know,” Jaemin began, hand tangled on Donghyuck’s hair before it fell on Donghyuck’s cheek, thumb stroking softly. Donghyuck’s lids slipped close, savouring the touch. His eyelashes fluttered, meeting Jaemin’s gaze. He was so close, his eyes were boring into Donghyuck’s soul.

"I really like you being here. In fact I like being anywhere as long as I’m with you,” Jaemin all but whispered the words, as if they were sacred, a secret only they could know. 

Donghyuck lifted his hand, pressing lightly on Jaemin’s own which was still resting on his cheek. He vaguely realised the proximity didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. That spoke degrees about how comfortable he was with Jaemin.

"You cheesy fuck,” he whispered back, giggling softly. Jaemin smiled, moving closer and closer—

"Okay kids, let’s keep it PG in here!” Chenle’s shriek was like cold water doused over them, the moment quickly broken. They looked over to see Chenle walking down the stairs with his new mint hair, glaring resolutely at the offending pair laying closely together on the bed.

"We were having a moment,” Jaemin said flatly, his movement sluggish and reluctant as he shifted away from Donghyuck, taking his warmth with him. It left Donghyuck feeling cold and slightly aggravated.

"Yes, but there’s people living here. Do your business somewhere else,” Chenle huffed, muttering something about how he was left “scarred” and “these eyes have seen things but they are never ready for that.”

Donghyuck snorted, pulling himself up and resting his back against the bed frame. 

"We are terribly sorry for the trouble we caused, young master Chenle,” he said with a mocking smile. Chenle looked at him with stink eyes, clearly not appreciating the sarcasm.

"Whatever. You should be grateful I moved Jisung. You’ll probably get kicked out for good if he sees that _ blatant _display of affection,” He said the last part with venom, as if the very notion sickened him. Probably wasn’t much of a romantic. Donghyuck sent a silent signal to Jaemin, which he reciprocated immediately.

"What are you doing?" Chenle all but yelled when Donghyuck and Jaemin latched onto his front and back respectively, giddy and annoying. Chenle flailed in between, shrieking for Jisung to save him from these two affection monsters.

"What’s going on down there?” Jisung yelled back, not sounding particularly curious. He was probably grateful he was immobile or else he would also get roped in their shenanigans.

"We’re giving Chenle love!” Donghyuck answered instead, nuzzling into Chenle’s soft hair that smelled of sugared powder and chamomile. Made sense, considering the amount of sugar and tea he consumed. Every time Donghyuck came by, he was always holding a mug and sometimes he had a cake ready on his lap. He didn’t like to share either, baring his teeth when Donghyuck asked for some. The scent suited him, however ironic it was.

Chenle slumped after struggling for awhile, knowing it was a futile effort to escape. Donghyuck cooed and patted his head with a hand, the other wrapping around both Chenle and Jaemin.

"This is enough love to last me for a lifetime, please let me go,” Chenle said after a moment, muffled by the fabric of Jaemin’s loose shirt. 

"Well, since you asked so nicely,” they stepped away, and Chenle all but fled up the stairs, yelling bloody murder.

"You better sleep with one eye open!” Jaemin and Donghyuck shared a look before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

"Better not visit for awhile, I fear my safety,” Donghyuck mock-whispered, his voice loud enough to be carried upstairs. Jaemin shrugged, placing an arm on his shoulder before pulling him close.

"We could go elsewhere,” he suggested. Donghyuck looked at him, thinking. That’s right, they essentially could. They had a magical door/portal that could transport them anywhere they wanted to. 

"Anywhere?" Donghyuck cocked his head. Jaemin’s eyes brightened.

"Anywhere,” he confirmed.

  
  
"You know,” Jaemin began, the streetlight casting a soft glow on his face, making him look more ethereal than he already was. “You never failed to exceed my expectations.”

"Care to elaborate?” Donghyuck swallowed, wiping his mouth with a tissue. Jaemin cocked his eyebrow, wondering if Donghyuck was playing daft.

"When I said I can bring you anywhere you want to, I meant going to someplace like Europe, or France probably, or Japan if you want to go somewhere nearby, not a small stall in your hometown,” he said matter-of-factly. Donghyuck nodded, undeterred. He popped a rice cake inside his mouth, meeting Jaemin’s gaze blankly.

"So? I miss home, and it takes forever to get here by bus,” he said simply. Jaemin pondered about it for a second before humming in agreement.

"Point,” he cheered, raising his drink before taking a sip. He’s watching the cars passing by, distracted by the fast motion and occasional screeches of tires hitting the street. Donghyuck used the opportunity to watch Jaemin silently, drinking him in. He looked calm, content, at home. It lit up a warmth inside his chest.

"Plus,” he said, voice a bit loud to be heard over the chatters of other patrons and sound of passing cars. “This is where we first met after all. Don’t you feel nostalgic?” He wiggled his eyebrows, grinning teasingly.

Jaemin switched his attention to him, the curls of his lips loose and endearing. 

"Of course. The unfortunate boy that saw me walking in the sky and got roped into a little chasing game, what’s not to miss about that?” He laughed, soon joined by Donghyuck as he reminisced about their ridiculous beginning.

"_Two _ chases, mind you. Really forced me to reconsider taking up the gym,” he retorted, shaking his head. Jaemin didn’t look apologetic, but he looked like he’s going to say something cringey so before he could, Donghyuck placed a hand in front of his face.

"If you say anything like “I’ll still like you even in your terribly unfit form” I will absolutely barf, so let’s refrain from terrorising everyone here,” Jaemin’s grin grew wider at his words.

"Oh, cocky aren’t we?” He teased. “What if I was going to say something else?’

"Nah, you have that face on,” Donghyuck gestured vaguely, slightly distracted when he found that his rice cakes were all gone. He could have sworn they had reduced in number since he left.

"What face?” Jaemin asked, a frown marring his smooth forehead.

"You know, the face you make when you’re gonna say something cheesy,” Donghyuck said, letting the rice cakes issue go. He’s already full anyway.

"I make a face? Didn’t know that,” Jaemin laughed lightly, disbelief colouring his voice.

"The more you know.” Donghyuck glanced at his watch, realising it was getting late.

"We should go,” Jaemin’s face fell but he nodded, standing up and pulling Donghyuck after, keeping their hands intertwined as they began to walk. Jaemin stopped suddenly, leaning in with no warning much to Donghyuck’s surprise. He almost hit Jaemin in reflex but stopped himself in the last moment. It’s just Jaemin, there’s no need to overreact.

"Stay over the night?” He whispered. It would sound like a very promiscuous invitation had Donghyuck didn’t know Jaemin, but it didn’t affect him any less. He coughed, turning his face away and hoping the dark hid the flush on his cheeks.

"Only if we’re sleeping in separate beds," he pulled his hand back, half joking and very much serious. Jaemin trailed after him, footsteps quick as he caught up without a hitch.

"I’ll wait until you’re ready,” he grinned greasily. Donghyuck hits him for real this time, not too hard to the point it hurts but enough to send a warning. 

"Ouch, fine! Still as feisty as ever,” his smile didn’t falter, not sounding like he minded the harsh treatment. A secret masochist perhaps.

"Let’s just go before I change my mind.” That managed to threaten Jaemin enough for him to shut up and lead the way.  
  


"Do you like him?” Donghyuck paused in the middle of lifting the mug to his lips. He knew it, Chenle wouldn’t simply offer him tea just because he felt like it. There must be an ulterior reason for his random act of kindness.

"Like who?” He played dumb, sipping on the tea and almost spat out the pure sugar that spread throughout his mouth. Chenle drank this everyday and did not have cavities? Donghyuck could already feel his teeth tingling, nonchalantly schooling his expression into something acceptable. Chenle caught it though, and his brief amused smile before his mouth was covered by his mug made Donghyuck think that it wasn’t unplanned after all.

"Jaemin hyung,” he continued, undeterred. Chenle really wanted to get to the bottom of this, huh? 

"Course I like him. Wouldn’t hang around otherwise,” he laughed humorlessly, quieting down under Chenle’s relentless gaze. Even after seeing each other so much, Donghyuck still found him frightening.

"Yes,” he admitted timidly. Had Chenle even met Jaemin? He’s gorgeous, and impossibly sweet, and they get along so well that it was nearly impossible _ not _ to like him. It was a natural progression, and the amount of time they spent together didn’t help either.

"Good,” He said simply, taking another sip from his favourite baby blue mug. “I was planning to be very mean if I found out you’re just playing him.”

"Me? Playing him?” Donghyuck sputtered, wondering how Chenle could even string those unlikely sentences together. How would someone like Donghyuck could even attempt something like that? As if he had all the time in the world to spend it breaking some poor’s fellow heart instead of busting his ass for school.

Chenle pursed his lips, thinking. Jisung chose the moment to cut in, not enjoying being left out of the conversation.

"As much as I don’t like you, Jaemin hyung does for whatever reason,” Jisung made a face and Donghyuck was almost offended if he wasn’t processing what Jisung was saying. He knew that Jaemin probably liked him as well, at least to some degree—he made it pretty obvious—but having someone else confirmed that left a fluttering feeling in his stomach. 

"So I guess I have to learn to accept you too,” he sighed, as if it physically pained him to admit that.

"I knew you’d come around,” Donghyuck grinned. Jisung did soften up to him a bit, not fighting when Donghyuck tried to cook on top of his fire and even accepted his offer of eggshells as reconciliation. They had made quite a lot of progress from that time Jisung called him a trespasser, which he essentially was.

Jisung harrumphed at that, lifting his fiery head up away from Donghyuck. He liked acting difficult just for the sake of it. Donghyuck still found him adorable, not enough to be in close radius with, but adorable nonetheless.

"You should tell him that,” Chenle said finally. Donghyuck’s eyes snapped to him, momentarily forgetting what they were talking about.

"What, about Jisung coming around? It’s always been inevitable, I don’t think he would be all that surprised.” Chenle looked at him, unamused. Donghyuck sighed. Why did he have to do all the work here? He was bad at feelings. He said as much to Chenle, who sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose like a stressed middle-aged man. Chenle was such a paradox of bright colours and mature attitude that it still threw Donghyuck off every time. 

"He’s a heartless man, he won’t do it first!” It was Jisung who answered instead. Donghyuck blinked, not understanding a single thing he said.

"What—?” Chenle didn’t let him finish, sending a warning glare at Jisung before addressing Donghyuck.

"He would want to hear it from you, believe me,” Chenle said simply. Donghyuck stared blankly at him, slightly miffed that Chenle chose to be cryptic right to the very end.

"Didn’t answer my question, but okay,” he sighed, feeling like he was forced to the edge with nowhere to turn to. It’s fine, he could do it. He would have to learn to take a leap of faith every once in awhile. What’s the worst that could happen?

  
  


"Donghyuck, what’s wrong?” Mark’s voice almost scared him out of skin from where he’s pacing across his room for about the thirtieth time. Mark stood beside his door, frowning in concern. Donghyuck could only imagine what Mark was seeing now, his brother with a crazed look in his eyes and knuckles white, nails digging crescents into his palm.

"I—" he paused, unsure what to even say. _ I’m freaking out about confessing. I just realised I really like this guy and have no guts to say it to his face. He has been flirting with me for a while now but this is the real deal, this is an actual human emotion I'm experiencing right now not resembling anger or bitterness. I am not familiar with this, please send help._

He must somehow have said it out loud since Mark’s face dawned in understanding, his previous frown melting into a teasing smile.

"Oh I see, my little brother is having some sort of crisis in the feelings department,” Donghyuck really wouldn’t hesitate to slam him down for that. He bared his teeth to Mark before plopping down to his bed, flushed and peeved. Mark followed suit after, landing more softly at the edge of his bed. Donghyuck didn’t even have to look to know that Mark was studying him, reading his expression.

"Whoever they are, they must mean a lot to you to get you so worked up over this,” Mark said softly, sparing from teasing him for the time moment. He had seen Donghyuck lose his cool many times before but never quite like this.

"I’m just—ugh. I never had this problem before! Never liked someone enough to lose my head over it,” Donghyuck grumbled, pouting as he tugged Mark in for a very necessary cuddle. Mark heeded, patting his head slowly, shushing Donghyuck like a little child.

"What do you mean, I thought you used to like someone before?” Ha, funny that Mark should mention that misunderstanding since it’s the exact same person only with a completely reversed situation. Once upon a time ago he didn't like Jaemin enough to want to spend every waking moment with him and do cheesy things he used to hate. Now that Donghyuck really thought about it, he really turned disgustingly mushy.

"For the last time, I wasn’t dating anyone at that time! You were just jumping to conclusions,” Donghyuck tapped at Mark temple’s with his fist, a feeble attempt of knocking some sense in his head.

"Huh, could’ve fooled me,” Donghyuck turned to him with a frown, so he continued. “I mean, the way you looked that time, you had that glow on your face. Like you found something good and you were happy about it,” he thought for a moment before finishing his words. “Now that I think about it, you’ve looked like that these past months too.”

The Jaemin Effect, perhaps.

"Yeah, maybe that has something to do with that ‘something good’ being the same person I’m freaking out about right now,” he deadpanned. If Mark wasn’t curious before, now he’s just downright enraptured. He ignored the very pointed stare at the side of his face, looking straight ahead at the posters on his wall.

"Not telling you anything though,” he let Mark’s groan fall on deaf ears. “Now come on, be a good big brother and give me some relationship advice.” 

"I’m just gonna say it, fast and simple, like ripping out a band-aid,” was the first thing Donghyuck said when Jaemin met him halfway. Jaemin blinked, smile falling as he stared at Donghyuck like he grew two heads.

"What are you—“

"I sure hope Mark was right about this,” he whispered to himself before going in for the kill. He stepped right in front of Jaemin, bravely meeting his eyes while his adrenaline still running and the bravado still there. He didn't even let his brain start thinking before he began to speak again.

"I like you. Like, like _like_ you.” Donghyuck mentally slapped himself that. _Is that the best he could d_o? He decided to stop himself before he say anything dumber and unsubstantial, gnawing on his lip as he waited for Jaemin to respond.

Jaemin’s mouth snapped shut, eyes wide and mechanical as he processed Donghyuck's jumble of words. For a long moment no one said anything. After a silence far too long to be considered acceptable, Donghyuck lowered his gaze, all confidence suddenly lost by the lack of response. He was about to just turn around and run out of there, _ oh my god this is so awkward what was I thinking? _—when Jaemin smiled, slow at first before it lit up his whole face, the most genuine one Donghyuck had ever seen on his face. Donghyuck let out a heavy breath, feeling lighter now as all burdens fell from his shoulders.

"About time,” Jaemin breathed out, and that was all the warning he got before Jaemin pulled him close and Donghyuck’s face fell on his chest. He caught himself by holding onto Jaemin’s sleeve, straightening up to meet his eyes.

"Does this mean it’s reciprocated and I’m not making an absolute fool of myself?” Donghyuck said dumbly, because he’s insecure and he needed reassurance that he wasn’t reading the signs wrong. There was always that possibility, no matter how unlikely.

Jaemin snickered, shaking his head in amusement before leaning in to press a tender kiss on his forehead. Donghyuck blinked. That felt…nice. It would be nicer if Jaemin did it again. On other areas of his face this time. Specifically his lips.

"If it’s not obvious enough, yes, it’s very much mutual.”

Donghyuck grinned, not even minding Chenle and Jisung who stayed silent the whole time and only now started making a ruckus behind them. For once, he was grateful that they decided not to ruin things with their timing. Would be hypocritical as well, since they were the ones that made Donghyuck do this in the first place.

"Get a room!” He looked over Jaemin’s shoulder. They were mocking them, but the matching grins were evident enough. Donghyuck returned with a smile of his own, before looking up to meet Jaemin’s fond eyes, liquid honey and lovely. It almost felt like everything fell into place. 

  
  


"Mark,” Donghyuck called out as he saw his brother’s figure from behind, pulling on Jaemin’s hand to stand closer. He was being uncharacteristically quiet and shy, hiding behind Donghyuck’s back despite being several inches taller. Mark watched the interaction with confused eyes, which cleared up once he caught up. He didn’t say anything, but Donghyuck could tell he _ knew_. Which was great, since Donghyuck didn’t feel like explaining much.

“This is Jaemin,” he gestured to Jaemin for good measure. Jaemin smiled crookedly, standing up straight after a second. He must’ve realised how silly he was acting since he quickly stepped into his usual self, offering a hand to Mark with a firm smile. Mark accepted, albeit a bit hesitant. 

Donghyuck watched them converse back and forth, gauging whether they’re getting along well or not but upon seeing Mark laughing not long after Donghyuck knew he was already charmed. Jaemin tends to have that kind of effect on people.

“Donghyuck cancelled our movie night just to introduce us. You must be special, eh?” Mark said, turning to Donghyuck, still laughing. Donghyuck shrugged.

“I’d like to think so, yeah,” Jaemin replied, sending a meaningful glance to Donghyuck over his shoulder. 

“He is,” he confirmed, continuing without much thought, “You both are.” 

The gentle breeze blew against his cheeks, sun dipping below the horizon somewhere. The feeling in his chest was genuine and freeing in a way he hadn’t felt in years, and the only voice in his head was of how much he wanted this moment to last forever. No amount of magic could compensate for the only people he ever cared about, right here with him, smiling at him like he mattered. He was starting to think that he did.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/pixelate)


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